Formula
by Nemi Nightingale
Summary: The druid Dorissa Nightsky is to escort the death knight Lord Zaladin Grimtusk across Northrend and suddenly finds herself battling her growing feelings for the troll.
1. Beginnings

**Disclaimer: I do not own World of Warcraft  
**

* * *

**Formula  
**

**Beginnings**

"Jones?"

"Present."

"Lightseed?"

"Present!"

"Nightsky?"

"Present…" Dorissa Nightsky allowed herself to let out a tiny sigh. The name calling part of these meetings was always dreadfully boring, especially considering all the participants that were simply there to take notes in case of a misunderstanding. Not that she had ever heard of one. There were, however, surprisingly few notaries present that day.

Callan Fadesong finished calling out from the list of names he held in his hands and finally declared that he would move on to the point of the meeting.

"As you all know, the situation in Northrend is dire, and the Alliance is running low on able-bodied men and women who are willing to defend our land and fight for us in the battle against the Lich King. In other words, we need all the help we can get. But we are not the only ones with such needs. The Horde is in the same situation as we are."

Dorissa was quite sure she felt a change in the atmosphere as soon as the Horde was mentioned. It was clear that everyone in the room now knew where this was going. It would once again be an Alliance-Horde cooperation mission, and most of the participants in the meeting were not fond of that idea. Sure, they wanted help in Northrend, but they were not as willing to fight alongside their old enemies as they should be in that matter.

"There is, however, one thing they have that we lack," Callan continued: "The strongest and highest ranking death knight yet to break the grasp of the Lich King and join the forces of the Horde. Zaladin Grimtusk is the name of this infamous troll, and he is their biggest trump card at this point. The fate of the Horde is very much tied to that of the death knight. And so is ours. If the Horde falls in Icecrown, so do we.  
The reason I have called this meeting is that the Alliance may in fact have something the Horde lacks: one of the aforementioned able-bodied men or women who is willing to risk his or her life for the sake of us all. What we need is someone who will escort the death knight Zaladin Grimtusk from Tirisfal Glades to Northrend where he is to lead the next strike we deal to the forces of the Lich King."

Faces turned to look at one another in disbelief. Dorissa rolled her eyes. People, and seemingly very often these people were night elves, tended to be arrogant and selfish in these dark days, especially in matters involving cooperation with the 'other side'. And the death knight being a troll did not make it a more attractive proposition for them. The majority of the room seemed to be thinking the same thing: What is in it for me if I am to protect a troll?

But Callan had not finished: "There is of course a reason this responsibility has been given to the Alliance now. Zaladin Grimtusk is extremely wanted by the Lich King. The death knight and his entourage have been ambushed several times at this point, each attack leading to the death of another life guard. Seven champions of the Horde have already paid with their lives for protecting the troll, and I can guarantee you, he will be attacked again. Even though he has made it back alive from each failed mission, the Horde will not let him travel without assistance. But this mission is also a matter of discretion.  
Having been too easily heard and seen by the enemy, mounts are no more allowed to be used on the mission, and only one single person can be allowed to join the death knight on his journey. And now comes the time to decide who of you will take this responsibility on his or her shoulders."

"What does that person gain by doing this?" a familiar voice asked somewhere in the back of the room.

Dorissa rolled her eyes again. Why Oldarion Lightseed always had to behave that way she would never understand. He was, of course, not the only one itching to hear what enormous reward would be given to the chosen person, yet Dorissa still found it extremely typical that he would be the one to utter the question. He never did anything that was not for his own benefit.

"As you may have guessed, this mission has been discussed in all the other major cities before it came to us here in Darnassus. The people of Stormwind, Ironforge and the Exodar all had different and, of course, most valid reasons for not being able to send someone to assist in the matter. This means that if someone from Darnassus chooses to do the job, the peoples of Azeroth will be in debt to that person, meaning that what you may gain is reputation," Callan said, his tone indicating he had been hoping no one would ask that specific question.

"So what you are saying is that someone in this room is to risk his life –"

"Or her life." Another voice interrupted Oldarion. Dorissa chuckled. Jillian Lee Jones, the only human present at the meeting, was much too straightforward for her own good sometimes, but Dorissa could not help but enjoy her quest to annoy Oldarion as much as possible. As the ambassador of her race she was, however, not always the perfect specimen.

"Thank you, Jones," Oldarion said coldly. "So someone is to risk his or _her _life for _reputation_?" He almost spat the last word.

"Correct," Callan said, cocking an eyebrow. "If you do not have anything more relevant to add, Oldarion, I would appreciate if you waited with the objections until we have closed the meeting and found someone willing to escort the death knight."

"But this is ridiculous! Forgive me, Callan, but you must be losing it if you honestly think that someone here would be daring and stupid enough to –"

"I will go."

Oldarion turned his head and stared in disbelief at Dorissa.

"Excuse me?"

"I said I will go, Oldarion. You may think me 'daring and stupid', but I am no coward," Dorissa answered coldly. "I see the importance of the completion of this task," she continued, now looking at Callan, "and I am willing to risk my life for a higher cause and possible victory against the Lich King's forces. I can leave whenever you need me to."

Callan nodded. "You have a strong heart, Dorissa. May it guide your way. I will accompany you to the meeting point, after which you will continue the journey on your own with the death knight. We leave tomorrow at dawn."

* * *

Someone knocked on the door to Dorissa's small chamber near the Cenarion Enclave in Darnassus.

"Who is it?" she asked without looking up from the scroll containing instructions about the mission she held in her hands.

"It's me," a familiar and welcome voice answered on the other side of the wooden door. "Are you busy?"

"Never too busy to chat with you, Jill," Dorissa answered. The door opened and Jillian entered. She closed the door behind her and skipped across the room to place herself on the bed in the corner. She had a slightly worried look on her face.

"You know you don't have to do this, right? It's not like it's impossible for them to find someone else for this mission."

Dorissa put away the scroll and looked at her friend. "What makes you think I don't want to do this?"

Jillian rolled her eyes. "Oh come on Riss, you know just as well as I that you mainly accepted the mission to piss off Oldarion. I know you dislike him, and of course I do, too… but you just got back from Outland, and you deserve some time to recover and relax a bit!"

"I appreciate your concern, Jill, but you should know me well enough by now to know that I get bored easily when I'm just walking around here doing nothing," Dorissa answered, smiling at Jillian. "And besides, using your most elegant phrase, 'pissing off' Oldarion is a perk I'm very pleased with. Maybe that'll get him to stop obsessing about me."

"I can't imagine what you go through each day with him stalking you all the time. I know it'd drive me nuts," Jillian said, giggling.

"Well, it does drive me a little nuts."

"So, you'll be bunking down with a troll for a couple of weeks?" Jillian continued, now grinning widely. It was easy to see where she was headed.

"Jill! You are such a pervert, I can't believe you'd think something like that about this mission!"

"I'm just saying that if you _really_have your aim set on annoying Oldarion… then that's the way to do it." She winked at Dorissa.

"Don't get me wrong here, I don't have anything against trolls, and I know Oldarion does… but it doesn't seem right to do something like that. And of course, I'd be marked as a blood traitor for even considering such a thing," Dorissa said, laughing.

"It's not like the people would be overjoyed if they knew what other things you've done in your life," Jillian stated.

"What exactly are you hinting at this time? It's not like I'm a saint, I know that."

"So true. This time, though, I was 'only' talking of drinking, sleeping with more than one person, and of course losing your powers, then taking up black magic to re-obtain them. There's a lot of gossip there, don't you think?"

"Well, then it's lucky that you're the only one who knows. I know you're not going to tell on me."

"Whatever. What I was referring to was that you actually would be daring enough to sleep with a troll if you got the chance."

"Even if I am as daring and stupid as people seem to be agreeing on today, we're talking about a death knight here. Death knights don't… feel."

"Tch, everything you've said about that up until now are minor speed bumps."

"You are unbelievable, Jill."

"Well, if the opportunity arises and you change your mind, you have to do me a favour."

"And what might that be?" Dorissa asked warily.

"I'm really curious about this. How do trolls kiss? You know… without penetrating the other's face with those extreme tusks? Oh yeah, this Zaladin Grimtusk must have some pretty huge ones if he's named after them, at least," Jillian mused, her eyes drifting to the ceiling while she tapped a finger against her lips, seemingly lost in thought.

"That'll be an unsolved mystery, for I do not intend to find out for you. It puzzles me that you even think about such things. We may be losing a war here, and if we do it'll lead to the death of everything we know and hold dear, and all you care about is whether or not trolls are able to kiss?"

"Aww, you're no fun, Riss. You make it sound like I have serious mental issues or something. I'm just curious; it's in the human nature! Don't you elves ever feel curiosity?" Jillian asked.

"Of course we do. Especially I. But I don't spend as much time thinking about the oral limits of trolls as you seem to do, Jill," Dorissa said, a crooked smile playing on her lips.

They spent the next hour chatting about everything and nothing until Jillian declared that she had some 'dreadfully boring diplomatic business' to discuss with the high priestess of Darnassus.  
"I wish you good luck on that mission, Riss. I hope it won't take too long, I tend to get bored when you're not around to bother," she said.

"Well, then you better hope I don't die like all the others before me," Dorissa said jokingly.

"Tch, I have faith in your skills. 'Looney Rissa' should be tough enough to handle it. Besides, you're one of the strongest druids in your time, thanks to your secret influences. Though, let me know when you get back, alright?"

Dorissa agreed and hugged her friend goodbye.

"Oh yeah, before I forget it, I have something for you." Jillian pulled a very ordinary-looking scroll from one of the many hidden pockets in her robe, and along with it she produced a long, scarlet red, silver-tipped quill. She handed the objects to Dorissa. "I've enchanted these. You won't need ink for the quill. I have a set as well. If you write with that quill on this parchment it'll pop up on mine, so we can keep in touch if you have the time for it, of course. It's quite handy," she finished with a hint of self-satisfaction in her voice. "So in case you do solve the little mystery, do tell me how it works," she added with a smirk. She then left, and Dorissa was by herself again.

She started packing her belongings, but she did not get far before there was another knock on the door. Assuming it was Jillian who had forgotten something she needed to say, Dorissa called: "It's still open." She was therefore surprised and quite irritated when she turned around and saw Oldarion enter the room, quietly shutting the door behind him. Dorissa raised an eyebrow.  
"What are you doing here?" she asked coolly. His face was a mask of fake innocence.

"Can one not visit a friend to wish her good luck on her journey?" His voice was honey-sweet. _How sickening, _Dorissa stated in her mind.

"I know you well enough to say with certainty that that is not the reason you have come, Oldarion," she said, turning around to continue packing.

"I just wanted to see you before you left. - And perhaps give you a bit of advice about the nature of trolls."

"Thank you for your concern, but I do not need any racist prejudices."

"Dorissa, will you please just hear me out?" he pleaded.

Dorissa sighed. "Alright."

"Trolls are extremely primitive and quite dumb. If you remember that, then you should be able to trick this Grimtusk into doing exactly as you like. It would not surprise me at all if you could have your way with him by showing him something shiny or-"

"Oldarion, enough! Do you even consider the possibility that you have in fact not the slightest idea of what you are talking about? As far as I know you have never known a troll, let alone even had a proper conversation with one!"

"Dorissa, I am only trying to protect you against him. Only Elune might know what such a vile creature could be capable of doing to others, and especially others as beautiful as you," he said passionately. Dorissa's brow furrowed. _God help me, that man needs someone who actually wants to listen to him to spend all his syrup-drenched flattery on,_she thought.

"Oldarion, please… I don't-"

"Schh," he interrupted, stepping closer to her. "I will be there for you if anything happens. And I will wait for you, no matter how long I have to," he said in a way that left no doubt about that the actual meaning behind his words had nothing to do with waiting until she came back from Northrend.

He reached out and tucked a stray lock of her silvery white hair behind her long ear. Dorissa was completely speechless. There was nothing in the entire world she wanted more just then than to kick him a little too hard in a very sensitive spot and run for it.

"I suggest that you leave now, before I do something I may regret... in a century or so," she finally said, her voice dripping with acid.

He did not react at first. He then sighed, boldly stroked her face from her temple to her jaw, and then finally turned around and left.

Dorissa shivered. That man was so unbelievably stubborn. She could simply not grasp why he would not let her be, no matter how many times she rejected him. She knew she had to find a way to rid herself of him. Jillian's suggestion suddenly seemed a lot more appealing than before, but Dorissa quickly shoved it out of her head.


	2. Encounter

**Encounter**

She did not quite know what she had expected.

The trolls Dorissa had seen in her time were extremely colourful. Their eyes had been vivid and witty, mischief always playing in their warm, orange depths. Their contagious laughter rang clearly in her mind from many nights spent years ago at the Salty Sailor Tavern in Booty Bay. She recalled a smile always finding its way to her lips when overhearing their almost ecstatic tales of the day's hunt and their offended snarls when their conversation partners brushed their stories off as exaggeration and mere tall stories.

Trolls in general belonged to a race Dorissa connected to a way of life that may have been a bit primitive, but also very exciting. She had always thought that being part of the trolls' society meant to be alive. And last, but most definitely not least, they spoke Orcish dreadfully bad, so bad she herself was actually better at speaking it than they were.

Zaladin Grimtusk was nothing like them.

As the doors in the far end of the long room in the Undercity opened and the death knight strode in flanked by two muscular orcs, she could not help but let out a small gasp.

Dorissa had never before seen a troll so robbed of colour. Of course the explanation was him being undead, and it was not like she had not expected the death knight to look different from regular trolls.

Even so, she still found his ridiculously white skin tone, in whiteness beaten only by his enormous mane of hair, to look very abnormal. This stood in sharp contrast to his pitch black armour and cloak, a triangular black mark on his chin, and a long and thin black scar that ran vertically across his right eye.

Being a night elf, Dorissa was used to glowing, somewhat empty eyes, but his blue ones were so much colder than she any she had ever seen. They seemed piercing and extremely dead, more dead than undead, in fact. But what surprised her most were actually his skills in speaking the Orcish language. He had the exotic accent, but his grammar was completely flawless.

And all in all, Dorissa was surprised and a little puzzled to find him extremely handsome, despite him also being very intimidating. His every movement seemed cold and calculating, as if he were assessing the situation in order to be able to make a quick escape if necessary.

As soon as she saw him, Dorissa could easily see why the Horde was that anxious to keep him alive (_Well, as alive as an undead could be kept,_she ironically added to her stream of thought). Him seeming such a perfect killing machine made her speculate on why he would even need a life guard, but she reminded herself that her mission was as much of a diplomatic matter as it was to ensure Zaladin Grimtusk's safety.

"So this is the newest sacrificial lamb you have found me. I do hope you warned her of the risks of accepting this task," Zaladin said, surprising Dorissa by speaking the common language perfectly, and not Orcish. The troll absentmindedly let a long, white finger slide along the left of his two enormous tusks.

Dorissa felt as if her blood froze slightly in her veins at the sound of his double-layered voice. _What I got myself into this time I do not know, _she thought with concern. But she refused to let her face show her thoughts. She put on a mask of confidence, straightened up in her chair and met the piercing, frozen eyes on the other side of the table.

"I am completely aware of the dangers involving this mission, and I can ensure you that I am more than capable of being your… assistant," she said.

Zaladin's icy eyes narrowed as he studied her face. "You will have plenty of time to try to live up to my expectations, however low they might be. What is your name?"

"Dorissa Nightsky," Dorissa said stiffly, ignoring his condescending remark.

Zaladin leaned a little across the table, and the ghostly light from the chandeliers revealed that both his long, pointy ears and his snow-white hair had black tips. He locked her eyes with his and said: "Forgive me for not instantly feeling relieved after hearing your little speech, Nightsky, but I have seen too many assistants die lately to take their promises of capability for being nothing but the truth. Not that I have a say in this matter. Feel free to lay your life on the line for whatever cause it is you serve." There was absolutely no emotion in his voice. Dorissa had known death knights did not feel, but she had never met a death knight as empty as Zaladin. She had a feeling the journey she was about to begin would be not as much physically as mentally challenging to get through.

Still, she kept her head high and nodded at the troll once, refusing to look away from his eyes that seemed to render her unable to breathe normally.

"Lord Grimtusk, be kind and let the elf prove her worth later. We need to discuss the route you will be following," Gorjhash, the entrusted emissary of Thrall, said in Orcish. Zaladin did not respond and merely continued glaring at Dorissa as he leaned back in his chair.

"We have been working on finding a safer route for you, and we think we have come up with one where you will be less likely to be attacked than previously. This time you will be going by zeppelin from here to the Howling Fjord and afterwards continuing on foot through the Fjord and the Grizzly Hills. When you reach the border to Zul'Drak, you will have to mount up and cross both Zul'Drak and Crystalsong Forest since you will have close to no cover there whatsoever. When you reach the pass to Icecrown you will continue on foot to the Argent Tournament Grounds, where the elf will be provided with a portal back to Darnassus," the orc finished.

"Will they be given a map of Northrend?" Callan asked.

"I believe that Lord Grimtusk still has one in his possession?"

"I do, indeed," Zaladin answered flatly, but Dorissa was quite sure she heard something close to humour in his otherwise dead voice. She wondered what that could mean, but she pushed it aside for later to pay attention to the discussions in the room. But it was still hard to focus when Zaladin's piercing gaze continued searching Dorissa's face for something she did not know what was. She ended up staring back at him, her face a question mark.

"I will not lie to you; I find it a little pointless to keep sending people to die travelling at my side. Though, there is something in your eyes that makes me think you are a tad more capable than the rest..." Zaladin said in a low voice. He sounded a bit as if he was mainly speaking to himself.

Dorissa shrugged. "You are the ace of the Horde. They are terrified of losing you... and this time diplomacy also seems to be in question."

"Oh believe me; I am fully aware of that. But I am still puzzled that despite the fact that they know very well I can handle this perfectly fine on my own, they insist on sending innocents to their slaughter," Zaladin said, turning his attention back to the other conversations.

"I guess I see your point," Dorissa answered, "but as I said, I will live through this."

"Time will show," was the only answer she got.

The strategic discussions and suggestions to safety improvements continued for an hour before everything was completely settled. Dorissa politely pretended to be interested, but her mind was set on entirely different matters, and she found it annoyingly difficult to take her eyes off Zaladin. Every detail of his appearance was strangely fascinating to her, and she had a hard time concealing her staring.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Callan suddenly whispered to her, making her jump slightly in her seat.

"Yes?"

"I just want you to know that you still have a choice. I can take your place if you want. He is not exactly the friendly type," Callan said, discretely nodding towards Zaladin.

"I will be fine, Callan. Thank you for your concern, though," Dorissa said and smiled at her friend.

"I know you will," Callan said, smiling back.

Another voice asked: "When will they be leaving?"

"I suggest today, as the odour around here may be unpleasant to our visitors," Zaladin said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"As you wish," Gorjhash said, ignoring the troll's comment. "If no one has any objections against that, I would like Nightsky to be ready at the zeppelin tower outside the city in half an hour."

* * *

The first thing Dorissa did after closing the door to the chamber that would be hers for the remainder of the time she would be spending on the zeppelin, was to retrieve the enchanted scroll and quill given to her by Jillian. She then sat down on a small and slightly wobbly chair and wrote:

_'Are you there?'_

The words seemed to sink deeper and deeper into the parchment until they had been completely consumed.

_'Always'_popped up a few seconds later. Dorissa smiled.

_'You've been waiting, pen in hand, since I left, have you not?'_she wrote.

_'... Maybe. What's the news?'_

_'I've met my travelling partner.'_

_'So, what's he like?'_Jillian's eagerness was hard to miss, even when she was not actually present.

_'He's... extraordinary,'_Dorissa wrote, lacking a better word for describing the death knight.

_'Is he hot?'_

_'... Yes. But that's irrelevant. He's quite frightening, actually.'_

_'Uh-oh, sounds like someone I would enjoy being alone with under the starlight for a while...'_

_'Well, Jill, that would be because you have no sense of self-preservation whatsoever. If his mere presence makes the blood freeze in my veins, think of what reaction others would have to him...'_

_'I'm thinking about it. And liking it.'_

Dorissa rolled her eyes. _'That is not what I meant.'_

_'Oh, I know that. I guess I'm just trying to make you see my point of view, Riss. Feeling intimidated by someone is completely new to you, right? Who knows, maybe it will actually be worth your while doing this. You might just learn something from this, or even come to like Grimtusk along the way.'_

_'Perhaps.'_

Dorissa heard a singular knock on her door.

_'I have to go, he's waiting. I have no idea when I can contact you again,'_she quickly scribbled.

_'I won't wait up then.'_

_'Yes, you will.'_

_'True.'_

Dorissa quickly put away the pen and scroll and called: "Yes?"

The door opened and Zaladin stepped in. His long cloak flowed around his body in a way that reminded Dorissa of a tall vampiric bat.

"I know the route very well. I have brought the map for you in case you want to take a look at it," he said, the faint touch of humour in his tone again. He then tossed a folded piece of parchment across the room. Dorissa caught it in the air, looked at him with narrowing eyes and unfolded it. She now saw what it was he found funny. The rectangular map was smeared with long dried blood, and in some areas there were even stab holes.

"Macabre," she stated, raising and eyebrow. "Your organisers are not much for copies, I take it," she said with a crooked smile.

"Correct. And I expected a different reaction from you," he said, puzzled.

"My stomach is stronger than others'. Or so it would seem, judging from your expression."

"Possibly. Or you are simply determined to not let your face show what you feel. I doubt that is the main factor, though. Maybe you will prove to be of as much use as you believe," he said and turned to leave.

"Wait... what may I call you?" Dorissa asked.

He glanced over his shoulder and said: "Whatever you want. I care little for titles."

Dorissa nodded. "Zaladin, then. Will you be kind and call me Dorissa? That feels a tad more appropriate if I am to use your first name."

"I shall. Dorissa." He nodded once in her direction, and then he stepped out elegantly and closed the door behind him. Dorissa stared after him. She was annoyed with herself. _Why did I want to hear him speak my name? And why did I like it so much? _she wondered. She closed her eyes for a second to focus.

She then got up to stand in front of the small neglected mirror hanging from a lonely nail in the wall. She studied the face staring back at her. Her lavender blue skin looked a little paler than usual. Dorissa lifted a hand and let her long fingers trace along the snake's pupil-like marks that, like Zaladin's scar did on his right eye, vertically crossed each of her eyes. There was nothing extremely unusual about her appearance, only that unlike the majority of her kind, she had no hint of pink in her skin whatsoever. _I still look like me,_ she thought. _I simply have to remember how to be myself around people like Zaladin. _There was only one problem with that: She had never met a single person in her life that had held even the slightest resemblance to Zaladin Grimtusk. She had in fact no idea how to deal with him. _Not that he seems to mind anything I do,_ she thought. _It's actually more a matter of finding a way to be me without feeling awkward around him... which could prove to be difficult enough.  
_  
She then decided there was no point in walking around in the chamber worrying during the entire zeppelin ride. She left the room, and on her way through the narrow and low-ceilinged hallway she noted that it was incredible that Zaladin had been able to get through without damaging the walls or the ceiling with his long tusks. _He must have been accustomed to manoeuvring in crammed spots when he was alive.  
_  
Dorissa appeared to be completely alone on the airborne ship when she stepped out on the small balcony under the main deck. _Just as well,_she thought. None of the crew had shown a particularly friendly side towards her when she had boarded. Not that she bothered all that much. She was not one who had problems with other races, and she did not care what they thought of her. She leaned against the rope railing and looked down at the cold sea that spread far and wide below her. The zeppelin was much too far up for her to see any specific details, but she could tell from the significant change in the temperature that they were most definitely getting closer to their destination. She quivered a little when the cold wind blew her hair away from her face.

"Enjoying the view?"

Dorissa spun around, her pulse accelerating at the unexpected sound. She had not heard the troll's approach, and he startled her so much she all but fell backwards over the edge of the balcony.

"Watch your step," Zaladin said, cocking an eyebrow. He was leaning against the doorframe and was not actually standing on the balcony, but he was still taking up the majority of the space there.

"You were a rogue when you lived, were you not? There's usually nothing wrong with my ears," Dorissa said, breathing quickly but slowly relaxing a little more.

"I may have been. I do not know," he answered.

"No one has told you?"

"Being risen as a death knight means to be a mindless slave to the Lich King. You are not to know anything of your former identity in case you should try to use that knowledge to return to your old life. It is highly unlikely that anyone will know who I was by now – only my name remains," he explained, and then he shrugged. "Not that I feel any need to know of my past."

"You don't really feel... anything, do you?"

"Probably something. I do not know. I simply am," he said. "Are you asking for any particular reason?" he added.

Dorissa shrugged. "I know very little of death knights," she said. "How did you get that... if you don't mind my questions?" she then asked, gesturing towards the scar across his eye.

"I do not mind. It happened during the most recent try to complete this journey. One of the attackers threw his axe at me while I was distracted fighting off three others. I only barely managed to dodge it, which was, nevertheless, enough, as it would have cracked my skull, given the chance. He, though, paid the price with his head."

Dorissa nodded in acknowledgement. "I did suspect you were a lean combatant," she said and flashed him a crooked smile. "You also seem to behave a tad less hostile towards me than before. Is there a reason for that, and if so, may I know it?" she dared.

"Observant one, you are," he said. "Yes... I have been testing you a little bit with my every action since we met. You passed, and your reward is open-mindedness in place of hostility."

"Testing me?" Dorissa brow furrowed.

"Yes, you seemed a little too determined to pull through to convince me that you would last longer than the others. They all had to settle for hostility."

"How did I pass then?"

"Your reaction to the map won me over."

"Oh?"

"Yes, I have been shouted at and threatened a few times for pulling that one. You, though, actually seemed to find it somewhat laughable. I have been using it as a test since the second map holder was killed."

"You are a little horrible, you know that, right?"

He shrugged, "I am only playing the cards given to me."

"Of course you are." Dorissa turned away from him again, giggling. _The living Zaladin must have had a macabre sense of humour.  
_  
The Zaladin behind her put an enormous effort into making enough noise to be heard when he moved to stand next to her and stare into the horizon. Dorissa was quite convinced he mainly did it to annoy her. It would have worked if he had not placed himself so near to her that she had difficulties thinking of anything but the closeness between them. She knew that all she had to do was shift her weight to her left leg, then her arm would brush against his. She tried to ignore that thought.

"You tense more and more the closer I move," he stated and turned his head towards her.

Dorissa turned to face him and was at once overwhelmed by his height. He was so much taller than any other troll she had ever met. She then noticed it was simply because he was the only troll she had ever seen who actually had a straight posture.

"You are a little intimidating." She tried to sound casual, but her cheeks flushed lightly and gave away how nervous she actually was about being that near him.

"I am sorry," he said, actually sounding like he meant it.

"Don't be... I adapt quite easily. I will get used to your ways," Dorissa said and smiled at him.

"Yes, I think you will. I think you were right," he answered.

Dorissa studied his face. "How close did you get to your other so-called sacrificial lambs?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Nowhere near the point you and I have already reached. They were as hostile as I – which was most likely also provoked by me, and of course their basic hatred towards death knights. You, though, seem to care little for what I am?"

Dorissa stared at him. "Maybe I am a little different from others. At least I'm different from most of my people. I blame Jillian," she then said and laughed.

"Jillian?"

"She is my closest friend. She has no prejudices against anyone whatsoever. She taught me to always see the person behind the race and... occupation," Dorissa explained.

"You speak very warmly of her."

"She has earned it. I owe her a lot more than I can ever repay. I don't know where I would be, had she not been there to guide me."

"Elsewhere than here?"

"Probably."

"If that is the case, do thank her from me."

"Why?" Dorissa said, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Because, I am quite satisfied with your company," Zaladin said, fixing her eyes with his.

"O-oh... well... I'm just happy to be useful," she stuttered.

"Yes. Useful..."

"Why did you come back?" she then asked, ignoring his last puzzling remark.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I know you could have made the journey to Icecrown on your own. So why didn't you?"

"To bring back the body of every slain... companion."

"That was a kind action on your part. Their loved ones will be forever thankful to you." Dorissa thought she heard him mutter something to himself about them owing him more than they knew of, but she did not ask what he meant. She did not want to pry too deeply in his affairs just yet.

"I knew it was the right thing to do for them," he then said.

"But you felt nothing yourself by doing it, did you?"

"No. Neither satisfaction, nor sorrow for the loss of those left behind. I am quite sure I am very close to being hollow. It would be interesting to feel something for once in this life."

"Yes, it must be quite trivial."

"Very. But I do not complain. People need me exactly because I have nothing to lose," Zaladin said.

"So basically you don't think you could have come this far if you had something... someone... in your life you would want to fight to return to?"

"No. Then my thoughts would be possessed by worry and take my mind off my cause."

"You know, it's possible to do well, even while worrying."

"I know that. I am honoured to be in the company of a living example of that," he said, bowing his head in Dorissa's direction.

"T-thank you... It is a little surprising that you have been giving me compliments ever since you came out here," Dorissa said, blushing while studying his face.

There was still no sign of any feeling in his features when he shrugged and spoke: "I study reactions whenever I can, and I will provoke them myself if necessary. Even though I believe I get better results when I am hollow, I try to awaken feelings within me because I am somewhat curious about what it would be like to feel something. Curiosity and boredom seem to be the only emotions I really know of."

"Something makes me think you could juggle feelings and getting brilliant results perfectly if you needed to," Dorissa said.

"Possibly, but I am still searching for a trigger... someone who can show me how to feel."

"Is it even possible to teach someone how to feel? And if so, how would it be done?"

"I do not know yet." And with that he turned from her and stepped back into the dark inside of the zeppelin, leaving Dorissa slightly disoriented on the balcony.


	3. Kindled

**Kindled**

"So... this is Northrend?"

"This is Northrend. Or part of it, anyway," Zaladin answered, his eyes focused on some point in the distance. Dorissa was not looking at him, either. She was studying the landscape surrounding Vengeance Landing where they had left the zeppelin. The Howling Fjord seemed far too welcoming to be part of the infamous continent of Northrend. The sun was shining bright in the blue sky, and the land seemed to be painted from a palette containing only warm shades of green and brown. Vengeance Landing lay behind them, settled close to the seashore, but even though she imagined the place should be full of activity, Dorissa could not spot a single member of the Horde in the settlement. There was not much sign of life in the particular area where they stood either, only two chirping birds and the silhouette of a drake against the sun. It was too far up in the sky to be seen in detail.

"I wouldn't exactly mind one of those for travelling," Dorissa said, pointing up at the flying creature.

"I have a couple of them in my possession. Some of them are stabled in the Dalaran menagerie, and I am planning on sending for one when we reach Zul'Drak, since we have been given permission to mount up at that point."

"You have more than one?" Dorissa said, raising an eyebrow.

Zaladin shrugged. "All in all I have around eighty flying mounts. Not all of them are drakes, of course."

"You call that 'a few'?"

"The number does not matter much to me, and neither do the creatures, really. But people want to stay on my good side. They present me with many things I could do without," he explained.

"It sounds to me like they don't get anything from bribing you, really. You have no actual grudges against people without reason, do you?"

"That is indeed correct, but I accept their gifts to show them they have nothing to fear from me. I did try convincing them I do not need their so-called presents, but they will not listen. The bigger the bribe, the safer they feel around me."

"Forgive me, but I find that quite ridiculous."

"You do not feel safe around me, either," Zaladin stated, cocking an eyebrow at Dorissa.

"No, it's not that I don't feel safe around you... but as I said, you are a little intimidating. Your presence sort of... well... overwhelms me a little."

"Should I be worried about that?" he said sarcastically.

"No, not even if you could. In not too long I will probably have forgotten about it completely," Dorissa said, more trying to reassure herself than him.

"If you say so. We should get going, though. We have a long way ahead of us, and once that has brought us up to the ground level," he pointed towards a wooden lift at the end of the valley, "I suggest we keep close to the cliff's edge to avoid being noticed by, well, anything."

"You're right. I'm ready."

And so they began the long walk in a casual tempo.

"Tell me... why is it we are not allowed to fly there?" Dorissa asked.

"Do you mind walking?"

"No, not at all. I like walking. I just find it odd that we are not flying when it's so much faster."

"I see. The reason we are not flying is that that is what my first escorts and I did. That was before all the new safety precautions that seem quite ridiculous. I had three guards with me, and we all rode a drake of our own. We got as far as the Storm Peaks before we had any trouble, but then we were hunted down by agents of the Lich King riding frost wyrms. We fought well and took down many, but we were vastly outnumbered, and eventually the others' drakes were killed, and the guards died when they plummeted to the ground. I managed to grab hold of one of the wyrms and kill its rider before my drake gave up. I destroyed the remaining few attackers and managed to land in the mountains before I was tracked down by more enemies. I spent the next week on the run for my life. It was slightly difficult with all the bodies I carried back."

"How many opponents were you up against?"

"I am not entirely sure, but I would think around fifteen to twenty."

"And how many were killed before your guards fell?"

"That would be five."

"With every minute I spend in your presence you make me question the point in accompanying you more and more," Dorissa said in a sarcastic tone.

"Is that so?"

She shrugged: "You said it yourself. You could easily handle this on your own."

"That does not mean I would not get bored if I were to go alone."

"The little reaction game of yours again, I assume?"

"Correct," he said, and something about his expression changed slightly. It reminded Dorissa a little of a smirk, but it was only there for a brief part of a second, and she was not entirely sure it had been there at all. She forced herself to look away from him. _Death knights do not feel,_she reminded herself.

"Why did you agree to do me company then?" he asked.

"I knew no one else would go with you, the fate of so many lives seemed to be gambled with, etcetera, etcetera," she said and sent him a small smile.

He cocked an eyebrow at her: "Can that really be all the reason you had?"

"Well... not only, no."

"May I ask what your other motivation was then?"

"Only if you will promise not to think of me as a slight person. Do know that it is in no way the dominant reason."

He nodded: "Go on."

"It would be a nice perk to the general feeling of the good deed if I would be able to finally shake off the most pestering man I have ever known."

"Who is he and what is his reason for bothering you?"

"Oldarion Lightseed is his name, and he seems to have made it his quest in life to win my hand. He is stubborn, self-centred, narrow-minded, and in general simply not a likeable person. He's not in love with me, either. He is simply after me for my social status and my looks. Oh, and he's also a racist and despises any member of the Horde, and especially trolls, like so many of my people do."

"So what you are saying is that you are using me as an escape route?"

"No, don't get me wrong. I had decided to offer my assistance long before he opened his mouth. He simply strengthened my determination."

"What did he say?"

"Basically something about how utterly retarded one would have to be to even consider helping a member of the Horde."

"Interesting opinion. So what exactly is it you are planning on doing while being with me that is repulsive enough to him to make him leave you alone?"

Dorissa's head snapped up, and she stared at him in disbelief. He sounded as if he knew every detail of what Jillian had suggested she should do.

"I... haven't planned anything specific for the time being..." she said quietly, annoyed to feel her cheeks flushing.

"I suggest you set your mind on that then."

"And why is that?"

He shrugged: "Who knows, fate may be against me this time. I might not survive this journey."

"And you don't think fate has been a bit against you from the beginning?"

"But of course. But, as you see, I am still... alive, lacking a better word for this state." He gestured towards himself, though it was more of a gesture towards his entire being than his anatomy alone.

"I suppose you have a point."

They had reached the elevator, and as they stepped onto the platform the lift carried them towards the ledge far above them.

Stepping out of the lift when they had reached the top, Dorissa saw the land ahead was even greener than what she had seen in the valley where Vengeance Landing sat. The only things in sight that gave away that they were in fact standing on ground rumoured to be cold and hostile were the looming, snow covered mountains in the distance.

Zaladin motioned for her to join him as he turned right, keeping close to the edge of the cliffs as he had suggested they should. She followed, keeping a little distance between them to be able to stare at him without him noticing. _He'll probably know. But at least I can pretend I don't know he knows,_she thought, smiling crookedly to herself.

The lively surroundings stood in sharp contrast to the troll. Dorissa wondered what he had looked like when he was alive. His skin seemed even whiter in the daylight. He was so pale it almost hurt her eyes to look at him. Somewhere deep within all the whiteness, though, she thought she saw a hint of blue. She assumed the tips of his hair that now seemed bluish black in the brilliant afternoon sunlight were remnants of the colour it had had, and she tried to imagine him the way he must have been.

In her mind she saw an experienced blue-skinned rogue, warm-blooded and exotic with an enormous, shining mane of bluish black hair, reaching out to her with a wide, satisfied grin. She imagined the scent of his skin, and how it would have felt if his warm hands had touched her.

She had not actually touched Zaladin's skin, but his entire presence was cold, and she assumed his body temperature was, too. But what if she had known him while he was alive and warm?  
She might have had the chance to touch him, then. She was afraid the Zaladin she was just getting to know would dislike physical contact a lot. But the Zaladin who had lived who knew how many years ago...

He _had_said that his relationship with her had already been taken much further than anything he had ever experienced in his undead state. He might actually have liked her if he were alive He might have yearned to touch her. And if so, he would have caressed her... and wanted her...

Dorissa shook her head to clear her mind. _Don't even think of going there,_ she told herself firmly. But when she looked up at Zaladin again, she still felt a tingling deep within her that was extremely hard to ignore. She rolled her eyes. _You silly, necrophile elf._

The troll suddenly stopped. "Duck." He put his hand on Dorissa's shoulder, sending chills down her spine. He pushed her down behind a small, grass-covered hill and followed himself.

Dorissa peeked out behind the hill and saw two black-skinned dwarves patrolling at the outskirts of what appeared to be a relatively big camp of their kind. She noticed that their bodies were covered with glowing, blue runes. Among them were also rune-covered stone golems.

"Iron Rune dwarves. They are merely bothersome creatures that are easily disposed of, but since we are not to be spotted by anyone or anything that could in some way be in league with the Lich King, I suggest we lay low until we have passed their settlement," Zaladin said quietly.

Dorissa simply nodded. She was too distracted by the hand he had still not removed from her shoulder to form a coherent response. She had been right before when debating his body temperature in her mind before trailing off to more inappropriate thoughts: Even through her robe she could feel the coldness of his touch very easily. _Brilliant. That should be motivation enough to quit imagining his hands all over my body,_Dorissa thought, shivering.

Zaladin let go of her shoulder and began moving forwards again, though he now made even less noise, and he stayed in the cover of the large rocks by the edge of the cliffs. Dorissa pulled herself together and did as he.

From there on, the walk became more troublesome. It was not the first time Dorissa had had to move along cliffs to avoid being detected by someone or something, but a lot of what appeared to be rock at first glance was in reality loose soil, and the risk of suddenly stepping on treacherous ground and slipping was quite high.

The troll did not seem to have any difficulties moving at all. Very little or no soil fell from where he stepped, and his movements had already become completely adjusted to the narrow trail that seemed far too small for his large frame.

Dorissa found it fascinating to look at his agile figure, but she decided it was a better idea to focus her attention on the trail to avoid slipping. She looked down just in time to see the small piece of rock under her right foot give away.

Dirt and pebble fell off the edge of the cliff. Dorissa nearly followed, but Zaladin's strong arm caught her instantly. He pulled her closer to reposition her, and the coldness that radiated from his entire body enveloped her. "Do me the favour of not falling," he said quietly and then let go of her.

Dorissa felt transfixed by his luminous eyes. Luckily he turned his back to her to pick up where he had left off, making it a lot easier for her to break the stunning effect his eyes seemed to have on her. She rolled her eyes heavily when she found that her knees seemed to have become slightly wobbly.  
_  
This is without a doubt the most unprofessional behaviour I've ever shown. Sooner or later I'm probably going to regret that I agreed to do this, _she thought and let out a small sigh.

* * *

As the sun was setting, they had arrived at the foot of the mountains. The white peaks reached into the sky, the crystal-like surface of the snow glittering in the sunbeams.

"It's been so many years since I last saw snow," Dorissa said softly. She bent down and picked up a handful of the white substance, letting it run through her fingers. "It's beautiful."

She looked up at the troll and found that he was paying close attention to her movements. "What is it?" she asked.

"Curiosity, I reckon. A feeling I am not too familiar with but, as I told you earlier, have experienced before."

"A feeling, nevertheless," Dorissa said. "You're not as hollow as you think."

"I suppose not. What is it you find beautiful about the snow?" he asked.

"It's pure and untainted. It reminds me of what I used to be. But even though I love snow, I like rain better. It washes away the mistakes of the past."

"Is that a riddle?" Zaladin looked slightly confused.

Dorissa smiled. "No... It's more of a way to express something without letting the words hold too much obviousness."

"To me that sounded like the definition of the word 'riddle'."

"... You're right. I'm not making any sense right now." Dorissa's brow furrowed. _What am I saying?_ she thought. _There is no reason to tell him of my past, so why am I doing it while trying to trick myself into believing I'm not? _

"Sense or no sense, you seem to be an interesting individual," Zaladin said. He then changed the subject: "Since there is close to no ideal spot to set up camp near the mountains, what with all the snow and the risk of being spotted, I suggest we stay by the cliffs and camp on a ledge tonight."

Dorissa agreed, and after a quick scan of the area they both voted in favour of a well-hidden spot on the very edge of the cliffs that held just enough space for the both of them.

Zaladin left for a little while and returned with his arms full of firewood. He built and lit a small campfire in the middle of the ledge and sat down on one side of it. Dorissa unstrapped the long, glowing staff she carried on her back and sat down across from him. She then opened her packs to find something to eat. The troll remained still while regarding her.

"Don't you eat?" Dorissa asked and began chewing on a loaf of bread.

"Not a lot. My digestive system is extremely slow."

Dorissa nodded. She shifted to leaning her back against the wall of soil and rock to her left and watched the sun slowly sink beyond the wide sea and into the horizon.

"In moments like this it's hard to imagine that our world is in danger of falling apart," she said quietly.

Zaladin's eyes followed hers. "I do not ponder such things a lot, if ever," he said. "Almost all I see in this life are possibilities I do not care for, but even so have to consider."

"You might see the world through different eyes one day. If you succeed in finding that trigger."

The troll looked at her with inscrutable eyes. "Yes," he said quietly.

None of them uttered another word that evening. Dorissa realised after a little while that she was quite exhausted from all the new impressions the day had brought. _Maybe I'll finally be able to escape all these horribly inappropriate ideas my mind seems to have conjured up if I get some sleep,_ she thought. She lay down as close to the fire as she could get and closed her eyes.  
Shortly after she fell asleep.

Her hopes of a peaceful night's sleep were in vain.  
_  
She stood on the far-stretched soft sands of the Stranglethorn Vale coastline. The turquoise waves played softly around her bare feet, and the scent of the sea filled her nostrils. A figure stepped out of the shadows under a tall palm tree.  
The tall, blue-skinned troll approached her. His bluish black hair shone brilliantly in the sunlight and on his face was a wide, cruel grin. When he reached Dorissa he gathered her up in his arms and lay her down in the warm sand.  
His black eyes travelled hungrily across her slender body. With one hand he pinned her wrists above her head. With the other he untied the lace on her robe. The thin fabric fell aside, and her naked body was exposed to the troll's lustful gaze.  
With his free hand, the troll trailed down her body from her neck, lingering by her breasts and slowly rubbing her nipples. Dorissa's breath quickened.  
The troll's fingers danced down her body and reached her core. He teased and played, making her yearn to have him inside her.  
He drove a finger into her, making Dorissa whimper. She struggled to free her wrists. She yearned to touch him, to make him growl and twist under her touch, but she was trapped, and her senses were overwhelmed by his eyes, his scent, his experienced touch...  
Suddenly the scenario changed.  
The sun was blocked, and the sky turned grey. Every tree in the forest withered, their now black branches looming above them. Dorissa discovered that the warm sand she lay on was now soft, icy snow, and when she dared look to her right the entire sea froze over in front of her eyes. She turned her head and looked at the troll again.  
The rich colours had been drained from his skin and hair, leaving him deathly pale, his eyes glowing like stars in the darkness. There was still hunger in the luminous orbs, but behind it was an impenetrable wall of pure cold.  
The burning sensation his fingers had left before was replaced by trails of ice, but the lust and want did not leave Dorissa's body when he finally let go of her wrists to massage her breasts while driving his cold finger into her..._

"Oh, Zaladin..." she moaned.

"Dorissa."

"Yes..."

"Dorissa, wake up."

Dorissa opened her eyes. Zaladin's face was right above her, and his arms were on each side of her like a protective cage. She blinked once and then let out a small screech, pressing her body into the ground to distance herself a little from the object of her dream. "What is it?" she asked, her voice sounding slightly frantic.

"You nearly rolled off the edge of the cliff," he said.

"I... oh." _Oh God, how much did he hear?_

"You appeared to be struggling to free yourself," the troll stated, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Yes... that makes sense..." Dorissa knew he had noticed her giveaway pauses between the words, but she did not care too much. He did not know the details of her struggling, and she would most definitely not be the one to enlighten him.

"Are you going to move any time soon? This feels slightly awkward," she said.

Zaladin did not respond at first, but simply kept searching her eyes for a sign of what it was he knew she was keeping from him. He then slowly moved away from her and sat down by the fire, but this time he stayed on the same side of it as her. His eyes did not release hers.

"You don't have to watch over me for the rest of the night. I'm not injured, you know," Dorissa said. She sounded slightly irritated, but it was merely to lead her own mind off the thought that she liked how protectively he was behaving.

"Nevertheless, it would be a waste if you plummeted to your death simply because of an... exciting... dream, do you not think?"

Dorissa's eyes narrowed at the pause he left around the word 'exciting'. She had a feeling he had figured out more than his face would show.


	4. Act

**Act**

"There's something I've been thinking about," Dorissa said. Her feet were beginning to get a little cold from walking in the snow around the mountains. It was just after midday, and the weather was slightly misty. To their right the Frozen Sea stretched far below the bluffs they were currently passing.

"Tell me," Zaladin said.

"Well... you're awfully talkative and sarcastic for a walking corpse."

"It walks hand in hand with boredom. As for the sarcasm, I use it because I know how to. It is not because I try to insult others; it is merely because I strive to get a response from whomever it is I am having a conversation with."

Dorissa shot him a quick glance. "I suppose you have a point. The wars of the world are very consuming. It's becoming harder and harder to have a talk with anyone about other things than strategy and death."

"It is, indeed."

For a while the only sound that filled the frosty air was that of their trotting through the snow. Zaladin then turned his head and regarded her.

"What are you thinking?" Dorissa asked after staring back at him for a minute.

"Yesterday..."

"... Yes?" Dorissa swallowed hard. He had not mentioned it at all that day, and she had just begun to think he might have forgotten about the happenings the night before. She had not actually believed that was the case, but she had hoped.

"Do you usually move that much in your sleep?"

"... No."

"What about the noises, then?"

"Noises?" _Oh crap.  
_  
"You moaned and gasped a lot."

"I... don't recall that happening before. Why do you ask about it?"

"I am doing research."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I might have to consider such things when picking locations for camps."

"There shouldn't be anything to worry about, that's never happened before." Dorissa looked to her left, away from the troll's face. She had not entirely been able to keep her voice casual when phrasing the last sentence.

"What was it you dreamt?"

Dorissa did not need to look at Zaladin to know his eyes had narrowed. There was an undertone of suspicion in his voice.

"My hands were... bound. I was pinned to the ground and unable to get away."

"Unable to get away from what?"

"Someone I do not know." _That's technically not a lie.  
_  
"You said my name."

"I... needed help... I must have called for you. Can we please not talk about this? I think it's better if I forget about it so I don't put us both through that again tonight."

"If you wish."

_He doesn't believe a word I've said. Not that anyone would. Those were the worst lies in the history of deception.  
_  
The snowy path they followed ended.

The Grizzly Hills seemed even greener than the Fjord. Dorissa noticed a herd of silver-coated stags grazing close by, but when they smelled and spotted the death knight they fled.

After having walked for a little while the unusual couple reached a bridge that gave passage across a stream that ran from within the forest to the left.  
Zaladin dumped his packs on the ground, and so did Dorissa. He squatted near the stream and emptied his seemingly untouched waterskin to refill it with fresh water. Dorissa regarded him from a few steps away. She caught herself hoping he would take off some of his heavy armour so she could perhaps catch a glimpse of what his body looked like underneath it.

She sighed and pushed the thought aside. Instead she asked: "Is it alright if I go a little upstream and refresh myself?"

"I see no problem with that." He straightened up and shot her a quick glance. "Do not linger too long, though."

Dorissa left Zaladin and followed the stream further into the woods. When she was out of the death knight's sight she took off her robe, folded it and left it on the ground near the water. She laid her staff down next to it and then kneeled by the stream and let her fingers break the soft, cool surface. She filled her waterskin and then sat down to wash her face and neck. Closing her eyes, she listened to the peaceful chirping of birds nearby.

_What is it about him that makes me feel this way?_ she wondered. _I've never had a dream like that about anyone else... Could that mean it's more than just a physical attraction? Or is it simply because I have never met anyone as extraordinary as him before?  
_  
Debating the issue with herself, Dorissa suddenly sensed a presence behind her. Out of reflex she jumped up, grabbed her staff and spun around in a flash to face whomever it would be, for a moment forgetting the chances of it being someone else than her travel partner were very small.

She slammed right into Zaladin's rock hard, armoured chest. She stared at him for a second and noticed he had all their things with him. She then blushed, realising that her undershirt was treacherously thin and slightly transparent.

She was about to apologise when he strikingly fast covered her lips with his hand.

He leaned in and whispered in her right ear: "We are being followed. They are not yet aware that we know of their presence, but we will have to strike swiftly if we want an advantage." He removed his hand from her mouth, but he was still alarmingly close. Dorissa felt his cold breath on her neck. She shivered, but she annoyingly discovered that it was not from discomfort.

"Ambush them?" was all she managed to whisper back.

"Something like that. It will not be much of an ambush, though, since they seem to have scattered all over the area. And I should warn you. We will be outnumbered by many."

"I am no coward, Zaladin," Dorissa answered coolly.

"I am only giving you the opportunity to choose your path before it is too late. My other so-called lifeguards never got that chance."

Something in Zaladin's tone made Dorissa ask: "What exactly happened to them, Zaladin?"

"They fled and got too far for me to protect them, but not far enough to escape with their lives. The Horde does not know of this. I did not see it necessary to inform them of it," Zaladin said. Dorissa nodded. What Zaladin had muttered on the zeppelin about the families of his dead companions owing him more than they knew of all made sense now.

It seemed that the troll had actually spared the ones left behind of the details of their loved ones' cowardly actions when it mattered most. So at least Zaladin knew what was best for the ones who were able to feel.

"How far away are our pursuers?" she asked.

"Very close. I am quite convinced they have scouts placed nearby. They seem to be following our exact trail, so they have given us the advantage of choosing the location where we will fight them. I need you to take care of the casters and whatever other ranged fighters they have brought. I will handle the melee."

"Where do you prefer to let them catch up to us?"

"There are no extremely ideal places that are close enough to where we are now, but it could be worse. There is a tad more space at the small lake up ahead, and I believe that should do fine."

"How many times have you been here since you know every detail of the landscape?"

"I have been to the Grizzly Hills a few times, but I have only seen the lake once."

"Ironic that your memory is so brilliant when you remember absolutely nothing of your old life."

He merely shrugged in response. "Let us get going," he then said quietly.

Zaladin waited for Dorissa to put her robe back on, and then led the way further upstream to the small lake he had mentioned. A mossy hill dominated the other side, and the trees stood close to the water's edge to both the left and the right. Dorissa's brow furrowed when she took it into view.

"You said there would be more space here?"

"I did."

"As far as I can see there is much more freedom of movement at the spot where you surprised me before?"

"Not with the right adjustments."

Dorissa looked at him curiously. He seemed to be concentrating on something. Half a second later Dorissa felt a wave of cold emit outwards from his body. The chill reached out and enveloped her body as well as his, and it quickly flushed downwards and settled around their feet, only visible once in a while as brief clouds of cold.

"I thought the Path of Frost was an ability that broke if the one upholding it took any damage?" Dorissa said questioningly.

"That is indeed the most common thing, but I was never satisfied with being limited in that way, and having practised on it I am able to hold it through attacks that are not life threatening, and in general I do not let many hits get through my defence. I may have to break it during the upcoming attack. I will let you know before that happens to give us both time to get off the water before the effect wears off," Zaladin explained.

_I wonder if there's anything besides feelings he hasn't practised to perfection,_ Dorissa thought and nodded. "Have you estimated how long it will take for them to arrive here?" she then asked.

Zaladin's eyes scanned the area, and Dorissa thought she caught a glimpse of bloodlust in his cold gaze. "The main group appears to be stalking about nearby trying to position themselves. They may be waiting for a signal as well. As for the scouts I briefly mentioned and was ever so slightly unsure about..."

It happened so fast it took all of Dorissa's concentration to follow what happened.

One moment Zaladin stood completely frozen in place while briefing her. The next he drew his runeblade in a flash, and in the same movement took off from the ground, turned one hundred and eighty degrees midair and let the full power of his swing separate something Dorissa assumed was someone's head from its body. He landed agilely on his feet again and wiped his bloody weapon on a nearby tree.

"And so it begins," he stated.

Dorissa found herself paralysed for a moment. This was the first taste she had had of his combat skills, and her heart raced with an unfamiliar sort of excitement that frightened her a little. _He sure is extraordinary.  
_  
She quickly recovered and turned around to see for herself what exactly it was he had killed.

From what she could tell, the body lying on the now blood-soaked ground was that of a man dressed in armour that was quite similar to what Zaladin wore, although it also looked far less protecting than the troll's. The colours were also different, mainly purple, black and dark grey. She kneeled down to take a closer look at the head and saw that the face had purple and black markings. _So we're dealing with cultists.  
_  
A movement to the right very close to the tree Zaladin had used to wipe his sword on caught Dorissa's eye. She got to her feet instantly, drew on her mana and hit the incoming scout with a solid beam of Starfire. He collapsed, dead before his body touched the ground. Zaladin looked at her and gave her an acknowledging nod. Dorissa's heart skipped a beat.

"Right now the majority of them are on the opposite side of the water. If we position ourselves in the centre of the lake now it should work out to our advantage. In the beginning I would like you to cover my back and take out anything that may still be sneaking around behind us while I thin out the main group's numbers, and then I want you to move on to the original plan," he said.

Dorissa agreed, and side by side they stepped out on the water, leaving frozen prints that quickly melted again on the surface where they walked. They placed themselves in the centre as Zaladin had suggested and waited for the enemy to show their face.

It was no long wait, as the cultists knew that the two were aware of their presence. Gradually, grey faces with purple and black markings appeared between the trees on the top of the hill and on either side of it. Dorissa counted fourteen of them, all dressed in the same sort of armour she had seen on the ones that were already dead. There were some exceptions that only wore robes of the same gloomy colours, and Dorissa assumed those were the casters she was to deal with.

One of the cultists in the midst of the formation stepped out of the shadows between the trees. He looked a little older and slightly more accustomed to the situation than the others. "Lord Zaladin Grimtusk, we have come on orders from the Lich King himself to return you to his service. If you come of your own free will, we will forget that you have just now murdered two of our men and escort you back to Icecrown where you will once more be incorporated in the King's inner circle." His voice was emotionless and hoarse. Zaladin snorted. "If you choose to decline our generous offer, we have been commanded to subdue you and take you back, regardless of your wish," the cultist finished in a self-assured tone. _He must definitely have missed the demonstration of Zaladin's skills just before,_ Dorissa thought. _Poor fellow._

"Such a generous offer, indeed. Unfortunately for you I have no desire to be considered Arthas' entrusted minion anymore. Leave now and you may have a chance of escaping the King's wrath when he finds out. Stay, and my blade will feast upon your flesh, and the soil will taste your blood." Zaladin's voice was dripping with a deadly cocktail of lazy sarcasm and pure boredom. Dorissa's lips twitched and she did her best to avoid snickering. The troll had definitely tried this many times before, and his act was brilliant. He knew exactly what their ignorance would lead them into choosing.

The cultist cocked an eyebrow. "So be it. Archers, take aim!" The sounds of bows being readied came from between the trees behind them where they had been standing a few minutes earlier.

"Hmm, so they have encircled us. And cultists have archers now. That is a new one," Zaladin stated, but he still sounded dreadfully bored. "Get out of the range of my sword when they open fire, and take them down as soon as you have a few seconds to spare. Do not let anyone past you," he said quietly, his eyes still locked on the cultist who had spoken.

"Understood." Dorissa took a few steps to the right to make it easier to avoid his deadly swing. She then turned to face the archers. About the same number of grey-faced men and women awaited her on that side of the lake.

"Fire!"

The twangs of the bowstrings being released filled the air, and Dorissa ducked just in time to make way for Zaladin's blade when the troll spun and parried every single arrow in one strike. He then turned, reached up and caught the leading cultist in a Death Grip. The spell's twisting purple light pulled the cultist from the edge of the hill and towards the troll, and Zaladin decapitated him in the air. The body broke the calm surface with a splash, and the water began to turn red.

"What are you waiting for, attack!" one of the other cultists shouted, and then they started down each side of the small hill.

At the same time Dorissa had leapt to her feet again and had started to aggressively fling spells at the archers who had halted the firing for a moment to ready the next round of arrows. She managed to injure half the group before the other half started to fire again and she had to duck to let Zaladin parry the new wave.

When the archers were done firing she began casting again, and this time the ones she hit did not rise when they fell. Shortly after the entire row of archers had been narrowed down to one lonely woman who quickly realised she did not stand a chance and ran to assist the melee group that was gathering on each side of the lake.

"Casters incoming," Zaladin said and pointed towards the waterfall. "For my part it will be up close now. Do not pay any attention to what I do before the casters are down." He had barely finished the sentence before he charged headfirst at the right half of the group. The sound of breaking bones and metal against metal filled the air. Dorissa turned to face the casters. They were already weaving signs in the air with ominously glowing hands. She began casting another Starfire, but when it hit and her target fell dead to the ground, she felt something wrong. She was being attacked by all the others as well: her mana was being drained at an alarming rate. _So I have to do this fast,_ she thought. She activated her Innervate ability to restore a little of her lost mana.

Reaching for the sky, she closed her eyes for a split second and concentrated. When she opened her eyes again, stars were falling from the sky, hitting every single enemy at the scene, and lightning struck the casters from a violent miniature hurricane above their heads. A few seconds later they all lay dead on the forest floor.

_Just in time,_ Dorissa thought with relief, for whatever draining spells they had cast against her had now worn off, but they had taken her last mana with them. She also now noticed a sharp throbbing inside her head indicating that other magic of an unknown sort was also robbing her of life force. _At least I can keep my Starfall lasting for a few moments longer, _she thought and sighed.  
_  
_She turned to watch the battle next to her.

It was astonishing. The brief demonstration of Zaladin's power before had absolutely nothing on the show Dorissa was now witnessing.

The right side of the lake was already littered with corpses, and the blood had caked the ground and stained Zaladin's armoured body. The troll fought with an elegance she had never seen before in her life. His every assault seemed an individual graceful dance, and had it not been for her sharp eyes the entire fight would have been a blur to her. To a human, the whole scene would simply have been flashes of pitch black, snow white and crimson red. She watched in amazement as the troll seemed to be defying gravity with his movements. He had not even warned her about having to break the Path of Frost yet, and the many cultists suddenly looked ridiculously unorganised and terrified. At that moment Dorissa could not think of a place in the world she would rather be.

Something drew her attention by the edge of the lake. She turned her head, and what she saw made her heart accelerate, and yet from there on everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

The last remaining archer had snuck away from her cover behind the few melee attackers who had not been butchered by Zaladin's blade yet. She was kneeling behind a small bush and had her last arrow in her hand. She readied it on the bowstring and took aim, pointing the sharp arrow directly at Zaladin's back as the troll landed on his feet after another deadly strike.

Dorissa glanced up. One final, shining star was on its way down, and it was headed directly for the archer. The woman looked up briefly and saw her fate falling from the sky. Her eyes flashed to Dorissa's, and just before the star eliminated her, she released the bowstring.

_Shit! _There was no time to warn him. There was nothing she could do. Zaladin would be injured. Severely.

_Unless..._

She flung herself in front of the arrow, shielding Zaladin in the only way she could.

It hit her body with a powerful thud and lodged itself between two of her ribs. The pain shot through her upper body, and she did not feel it when she hit the shallow water at the edge of the lake, she only heard the hard thump and the small splashes as her lower body broke through the surface of the water. She then felt the back of her head hit something harder than muddy ground.

She managed to turn her head slightly to the left and look up. The death knight was still fighting two cultists, but she knew they would be dead within seconds. Dorissa tasted metal, and she felt a thin, warm stripe of blood running out the corner of her mouth.

"Zaladin..." was all the managed to choke out. She saw him turn his head towards her. Her consciousness was giving up on her, but she was almost certain she saw a look of horror flash across his handsome features. He took down the two remaining opponents in one strike and reached towards her. His lips moved, but she could not hear the words he spoke.

Just before she closed her eyes and drifted off, Dorissa saw a brilliant pink light envelop her, and cascades of tainted light rained down above her, but she did not feel the spells harm her.

Then all went black.


	5. Cracks

**Cracks**

When she came to, Dorissa felt warmer than she was supposed to. Her brow furrowed. The temperature was cool, but there was no wind. Instead there was muffled noise. People were talking, singing and laughing close by. She opened her eyes.

She appeared to be lying on a mattress on the floor in a small, dark room. A candle stood next to her, but it was not lit.

She sat up and involuntarily let out a gasp of pain triggered by a sharp stinging sensation between her ribs. Her head felt quite sore, too.

It took her a moment to recall what had happened. When she managed to do so, she was shocked by her own actions. She had blocked an arrow for him with her own body, a shot that had been potentially deadly, without concern for her own life. She was not usually one to show such self sacrifice. She shook her head in wonder, she was lucky to be alive.

She pushed the thought aside for a moment to examine her body. She was wrapped in a warm blanket which she carefully removed. Underneath it she was still wearing her thin undershirt. She pulled it half off and found a thick bandage covering her ribs just below her breasts. It took her a moment in her still not quite recovered state to understand that Zaladin must have done it. He had saved her, too.

It also looked like he had put quite a bit of effort into the bandaging. She could smell healing herbs through the cloth. She smiled at the thought of knowing that he cared enough for her to go through that kind of trouble. Maybe there was still some feeling to be found in his cold heart. Dorissa looked down at the bandage for a little while, and just before her train of thought was lost, she was annoyed to catch herself wondering if the handsome troll had liked (or even felt anything about) what he must obviously have seen while taking care of her wound.

"How are you feeling?" His deep voice startled Dorissa, who quickly turned her head towards the sound that came from the door in the opposite end of the room.

Zaladin seemed to have been off somewhere to repair his things. He entered the room carrying the chest piece of his armour in his hands. He was dressed in tight black leather leggings and a black, open shirt. Dorissa felt shivers running down her spine. Shivers that had very little to do with the nightly cold.

"Good. Well, quite good considering the fact that I was shot," she answered. "Where are we?"

"Conquest Hold. It lies very close to Dragonblight."

"I assume this is Horde territory?"

"Yes. I had to tell the owner of the inn that you are my captive. That was the only way I could get you in without making the other guests here suspect something." He tossed the chest piece into a corner of the room and squatted next to the candle to light it. As the fire lit up his pale, muscular body, Dorissa noticed that he had a very deep and long un-bandaged cut across his abdominal muscles. She studied his face for a bit. He did not seem bothered by the cut in any way, but she did not like seeing him wounded.

"I can heal that for you if you want me to," she said carefully.

"Wait until you feel a little more recovered, please. And take care of yourself first if you need it," he answered.

"I feel quite alright?" Dorissa said.

"The arrow tip was poisoned." Zaladin's voice revealed no feeling at all.

"... It was?"

He nodded. "It makes as little sense as cultist archers, but, nevertheless, it was. Arthas' servants are no longer being handpicked, and my guess is that they are extremely inexperienced and care little for their methods, as long as they get their job done. In any case, I managed to suck out the majority of the poison in your blood, and the herbs I am certain you have noticed under your bandage should take care of the rest. But do me a favour and remain still for a while. I would dislike it if any remaining poison spread through your system."  
_  
As if you could dislike anything,_ Dorissa thought a little bitterly. She then realised what information she had just been given. She blushed heavily and looked away, partially hiding her face in her hair. He had had his lips pressed to her wound, her soft skin so close to her breasts (and had, impressively, done so without impaling her). And she had been unconscious. _Damn it!_ she unwillingly thought.

"Thank you..." she managed to say. He did not respond. "For how long have I been unconscious?" she asked.

"For around two or three hours. I believe that it was caused by a combination of the poison and the fact that you hit your head on a rock just below the water surface when you fell."  
Dorissa half-smiled. She was almost getting used to the lack of emotion in everything Zaladin said. His description of the happenings sounded a little mentally disturbed that way. And she liked it. That concerned her.

None of them said anything for a while. Dorissa moved a little bit. She was quite sure she already felt better.

"I will heal your wound now. - If you will let me," she said, looking at his expression which was plain as usual. He turned to her and studied her face. His eyes narrowed a little, seemingly analysing her condition. After a little he nodded once.

He stood up and placed himself in front of her. Dorissa pulled off the blanket and noticed that she was only wearing her leather leggings. The majority of her upper body was exposed, and her breasts were barely covered. She did her best not to be bothered by it and carefully got up. She placed herself in front of Zaladin and quickly examined the cut in his skin. She frowned and looked up at his face, now noticing that his eyes were on her.

"As far as I can see the cut has not been bleeding at all?" she said.

"I am technically dead, only kept moving by runes and sheer willpower. My heart nearly does not beat. Therefore, my blood runs extremely slowly through my veins, which is why I almost do not bleed when injured. But my skin does not heal properly either. I require the services of a healer to close even the smallest of cuts."

Dorissa nodded and returned to her task. She bent forward and placed her right middle finger on the upper end of the cut and began the process of closing the wound. She channelled her mana into her hand. It began to glow green with an edge of purple, and she used the tip of her middle finger to trace along the cut in order to close it. As she finished, Dorissa noticed two things: Firstly, the wound did not heal the way it should. There should be very little or no scarring at all, but where the cut had been there was now another thin, black scar like the one across Zaladin's right eye.

But secondly, and in a way far more concerning, Dorissa discovered that she had absently and for no reason whatsoever placed her left hand on Zaladin's hip. She quickly removed it, blushing. In her mind she asked herself why she did that so often lately. Aloud she said: "There should not be a scar..."

"Healing dead skin is forcing it to do things dead skin is unable to do. Scars cannot be avoided. I have a lot by now, and they do not bother me."

Dorissa's eyes wandered from the fresh scar to the rest of Zaladin's chest. She had not noticed until then, but it was true, he did have scars just about everywhere. But it did not make him less attractive. In fact, Dorissa had to fight a strong urge to let her hands wander with her eyes and touch his pale, scarred skin. She quickly took a few steps back to avoid doing something stupid.

"In that case I am all finished," she said.

He nodded. "I thank you," he said, much to Dorissa's regret buttoning his shirt.

The elf shook her head. "You saved my life. This was the least I could do for you."

"Yes, I saved your life just after you shielded me from the arrow with your own body, thus protecting me from much worse injuries than this." He gestured towards his abdominals. "You owe me nothing."

"Oh... I did do that, didn't I? I have never done such a thing for someone before," Dorissa said in a low voice, her expression puzzled. She peeked up at the troll and gasped.  
Zaladin's expression had changed. He had an almost touched look in his eyes. And he was smiling. It was a smile so small it could almost not be seen, but it was, nevertheless, a smile. Dorissa stared at him, fascinated. She had never seen him look so alive. And so beautiful.

But all of a sudden his eyes widened, and he sat down quickly. He held his hands to his forehead, and his expression was that of someone in great pain. Dorissa could see he was shaking a little.

She reached out to touch him, but she let her hand drop again. She was not sure it was a good idea.

"Zaladin? What is it?" she instead asked.

He relaxed a little and removed his hands from his head and glanced up at her worried expression. "I... am not sure..." he said. For a moment Dorissa saw confusion in his usually so dead eyes.

"Is there... anything I can do for you?" she asked hesitantly. He looked up at her and locked her eyes with his. He seemed to be pondering something in his mind.

"No..." he finally said, but Dorissa thought she heard an unspoken 'not yet' in his tone. She sat down and wrapped the blanket around her again.

"How did you get me here before it was too late?" she asked after a little. "I think I recall a bright pink light. Was that something I imagined?"

Zaladin shook his head. "When I saw you fall I knew I had to act quickly to get you to safety. So I used my last runic power to form an Anti-Magic Zone to help you as fast as I could before I called upon the dead for a suitable distraction."

"An Anti-Magic Zone? And why did you need a distraction? I thought I saw you destroy those last two cultists?"

"An Anti-Magic Zone is a bubble, if you like. It protects the caster and his nearby allies from harmful magic. That was the light you saw. As for the distraction... it must have happened just after your eyes shut. Some of them had apparently cowered in the woods and waited for us to be injured or otherwise weakened before they attacked. I did not have time to finish them off before it would have been too late to take care of you. This is also the reason I shielded you. One of them was a caster, and I knew I had to prevent him from harming you," he explained. Dorissa nodded and thought it through.

"But... even if you managed to distract them it should not have been possible for us to get away fast enough on foot?" she then said.

"You think we got away on foot?"

"Well, when you say it like that I assume we didn't. The rules just seemed to be very clear about that: no mounts allowed."

"I had to do something to keep you alive, did I not? One of the first things a newly risen death knight is taught is how to summon a deathcharger that will carry him wherever he needs to go. It surprises me you know that little of us." There was a tiny hint of accusation in his voice.

"For my defence I have not exactly teamed up with a lot of death knights. Until I volunteered for this mission I was busy fighting back the Burning Legion in Outland," Dorissa answered darkly.

"In that case I must say it surprises me even more that you were not killed over there," he said coolly.

"Do you question my abilities?" Dorissa half-sneered.

"Only your apparently quite sacrificial nature."

"As I said before, I have never done such a thing before in my life!" Half-shouting, Dorissa folded her arms tightly.

"You seem awfully upset about it," Zaladin stated, cocking an eyebrow.

"If you think I'm upset about saving your arse you are very, very wrong. I'm merely irritated that you seem to find me ridiculous for doing it." She turned away to avoid meeting his eyes.

His next words made her feel a little ashamed of herself: "I have never indicated that I find you ridiculous in any way, Dorissa. But you must understand that I do not feel like you. I am simply trying to grasp what went through your mind when you flung yourself in front of that arrow."

"I..." Dorissa paused to think her answer through. It then occurred to her she did not actually have one. "I... I don't know, Zaladin," she finally said. She turned her face to the hole in the wall that was the window to study the night sky, mainly to focus on something else than his piercing eyes upon her face. But the cold starlight now only reminded her of his gaze. She sighed and closed her eyes.

"Why is your name Nightsky?" Zaladin suddenly asked.

Surprised, Dorissa turned her face towards his again. He actually looked like he was interested in knowing.

"Elven surnames date back millennia. Our names run in the family line. I, however, am an orphan, and no one ever knew my parents. They vanished or died before I knew them, and I was left in the care of the druids of the Cenarion Circle, and for all they and I know I could actually be half-blood. All they have ever been able to tell me is that my first name is Dorissa, which is not even an Elven name.  
However, I have always been fascinated by the moon and stars, and during my druidic training it became clear to me that what I do best is control things that are connected to the night sky. I quickly became known as the literal lunatic who would sprint into the field of battle, making stars do my bidding and fall from the sky to crush anyone in my way. But since it was a quite efficient technique my people decided that 'the Lunatic' was not a proper title, and I was therefore named Nightsky. Though, it wouldn't surprise me if you can still find people who know me as Looney Rissa or whatever version of that name they're used to."

Zaladin snickered. Dorissa stared at him, her eyes wide with disbelief. "You... laughed?"

His hands were on his forehead again then; he bit his lip and closed his eyes tightly. "This is odd," he whispered.

"Well quite," Dorissa responded. "It suits you, though."

"Being in pain?" He sounded confused.

"Showing signs of happiness. You would be so much less intimidating if you were able to feel such things more," Dorissa said in a low voice, a little embarrassed.

Zaladin stared at her. Dorissa was beginning to suspect he would not speak to her again at all that night.

"I noticed something peculiar when you healed my wound," he then said.

"What?" _Oh god, I can't explain why I fondled his hip...  
_  
"The colour of your healing spell. I have not seen any healer's spell with purple light. And now that I come to think of it, the spells you used against the cultists earlier were oddly tinted, too.  
Is that something you can explain?"

Dorissa hesitated. "I... I'm different from my people. It's about the bond with nature. I'm not sure I'm ready to tell you about it just yet."

"May I know someday?"

"One day, perhaps."

Zaladin nodded.

"We should be going," Dorissa said, feeling slightly awkward. She was about to get up from the bed, but Zaladin's strong hands pushed her back down.

"We leave tomorrow. You need to recover before I let you out."

"But we'll lose time?"

"We saved up a day's time today when I summoned the deathcharger to get you here. We stay here until tomorrow. Rest now." He got up and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Dorissa sighed and stared at the ceiling. She felt restless.

After a few minutes she rolled her eyes and sat up on her knees. She grit her teeth as the pain shot through her chest again. She carefully got up. Partially removing the bandage she tried to examine the wound. Unable to see it properly, she picked up one of the arm plates the death knight had left and used its backside to see her reflection.

The wound had already begun healing, thanks to the herbs Zaladin had used along with the heavy bandage, but the injury would still be an inconvenient travel partner if not dealt with. _As if my current travelling companion isn't difficult enough to handle as it is, _she thought with a crooked smile.

She had to loosen the bandage a little more to see the hole in her skin completely. She did her best to ignore the fact that she found herself standing in a Horde inn with nothing covering her breasts but her long hair and the shadows beyond the candlelight.

She focused, and her fingers once again began glowing.

The skin healed under her fingertip, and unlike the result after she had used her healing skills on the troll, when she had finished with herself there was no sign whatsoever that she had been shot a few hours earlier.

"Would you like me to leave again?"

Dorissa let out a surprised shriek and covered her breast with her arms. She turned around and stared at him.

"What I would like is for you to make just a little bit of noise instead of stalking about like that. It's getting annoying being caught off guard like this all the time," she said. "I'm not exactly decent right now."

"My apologies." There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Here." He crossed the room and placed a tray of food on the floor next to the candle. "And for the record, there is nothing there I have not seen." He gestured towards her arms that were pressed to her chest. "And I know that you know that."

"Yes, I know," Dorissa said quietly. She blushed and looked away.

Zaladin turned to leave, but just before he reached the door he stopped and glanced at her over his shoulder. "You have nothing to be ashamed of, you know."

Dorissa's jaw dropped. "Did you just... compliment me?"

His eyes narrowed once more. "I suppose I did." Then he was gone, the door closed again.


	6. Morals

**Morals**

Dorissa stared after Zaladin, completely bewildered. _What in the world is going on with him?_ she pondered.

She bent down and went through her belongings. She put on a new shirt and found the enchanted scroll and quill. She then sat down on the mattress again and wrote:

_'I have some gossip for you.'_

_'Bring it'_ appeared on the parchment not five seconds later.

_'I could've died today.'_

_'What happened?'_

_'I was shot by an archer when I shielded Zaladin from the arrow. I was hit in the ribcage, and the tip of the arrow turned out to be poisoned. Zaladin saved my life. But this is not what you want to know.'_

_'Then what do I want to know?'_

_'That I'm quite convinced he just complimented my breasts.'_

_'You're right. I do want to hear about that.'_

_'Well, he's been acting very strange ever since I woke up. He entered the room just now. I wasn't exactly dressed. He said there was nothing there he had not seen while taking care of my injury. And then he added that I had nothing to be ashamed of.'_ Dorissa did not feel like explaining all the details of the troll's strange behaviour to her friend, but she also knew that if she had elaborated it, all she had written would be forgotten as soon as she mentioned the compliment to Jillian.

_'You do realise that that's brilliant, right?'_

_'Not really. I'm... confused, merely.'_

_'You might just be able to pull off seducing him, Riss.'_

_'Or, most likely, he was just trying to make me feel better about standing half-naked in front of him.'_

_'I don't buy that.'  
_  
_'I'm afraid you might have to. I need to go now.'_

_'Hang on a second, Riss. There's something I think you need to know.'_

_'Yes?'_

_'Oldarion seems to have figured out somehow that I'm keeping in touch with you. He's been taking walks by my room here a lot. It seems suspicious to me. I'm leaving Darnassus soon, and he knows that. What I'm saying is that if he's planning on stealing my scroll to contact you, he's going to do it soon.'_

_'Thanks Jill, I'll look out for suspicious content in whatever messages I may receive.'_

_'Good. Talk to you soon.'_

_'Hopefully.'_

Dorissa packed the things again. She realised she was starving and quickly scoffed down the bread, cheese and fruit on the tray Zaladin had left. When she had finished, it occurred to her that she would most likely have no company for the rest of the night if she did not leave the room. She made up her mind, put on her boots and opened the door.

As Dorissa went left towards the top of the stairs, the volume of the noise downstairs increased. She then remembered that the many people downstairs were supposed to believe she was Zaladin's captive. He had not mentioned she was not allowed to leave the room, so she decided it was alright, as long as she pretended to not be very fond of his company. She had now reached the stairs, and she peeked into the inn's main room.

The inn was filled with people. The smell of sweat and alcohol hit Dorissa like a heavy cloud. She wrinkled her nose. The air was hot, and the noise was unbelievable. People were laughing and shouting in tongues she recognised, but for the bigger part did not understand.

Zaladin was sitting at the bar. He seemed to be having a conversation with the orc behind the counter. He looked up and met her eyes. His expression was back to its usual coldness.

Without looking away or blinking, he pointed stiffly towards the chairs next to him. Dorissa played along. Staring warily at him, she took a seat by the corner of the bar. The other people there looked at her, some glaring, but they did not comment.

The Orcish bartender's eyes narrowed slightly. He looked at Zaladin. "You let the elf leave the room?" he asked in a deep, grunting voice. He did not appear to be informed that Dorissa understood Orcish perfectly well, and she decided not to be the one to enlighten him just yet.

"She has given me no reason not to," Zaladin answered. "Why have you come?" he asked Dorissa, now in the Common tongue, which appeared to surprise the orc.

"Thirst drove me," she said coolly.

Zaladin turned his attention to the bartender again. "Our guest is thirsty."

The orc glanced at him, then leaned closer and said in a low voice: "It'll be easier to interrogate her if she's a little intoxicated, you know what I'm saying?"

Zaladin shrugged. "Give her whatever you find appropriate." He shot Dorissa a glance that told her he knew very well she would enjoy a drink.

The bartender handed Dorissa an enormous mug filled with golden, strong ale. She cocked an eyebrow, then shrugged and drank greedily.

"Feminine one. If not for the ears and the breasts I'd have guessed she was an orc, and a male one, too," the bartender stated. "Though I guess she is attractive."

"Thanks," Dorissa said to Zaladin. She turned to the orc. "And for the record, you may not find that I'm the iconic elf woman, but male orcs have nothing on my drinking skills," she said in well-practised Orcish and flashed him a brilliant smile. The bartender's jaw dropped and the orcs nearby burst into laughter. Zaladin turned his head to hide a crooked smirk.

A huge, fuzzy tauren with a nose ring and a peculiar crescent-shaped mark on his forehead raised his mug in her direction. "Well spoken, little one," he said, smiling.

Dorissa grinned widely at him.

"I guess I owe you a free drink for that remark," the bartender said, having recovered from the surprise. He refilled her mug and smiled at her. "Though, for your own good you shouldn't play that attitude too much around here. Not everyone has humour, you know."

"I'll keep that in mind."

The tauren moved from his chair (that had been complaining with alarming splintering noises) to stand in front of her.

"What do you call yourself, little one?" he asked. He had a deep, soft voice.

"Dorissa Nightsky," she answered. "May I know your name?"

"I am Krohn the Earth Bender," he said, smiling.

"Your name is a title?"

"It used to be just a name. But times change." He looked at her with deep, brown eyes. "They will for you, too."

"Of what do you speak?"

He smiled and pointed to the crescent on his forehead. "You will know when the time comes. But for now, let us simply enjoy this night. Cheers, little Dorissa Nightsky. This will not be the last time our paths cross," he said heartily and drank deeply from his mug. Dorissa agreed and did as he.

"Your challenge... does it only apply to orcs?" a hoarse voice asked behind her. She looked up from her mug.

The man speaking was a blood elf with long, black hair and a scar across his lips. There was something strange about the way he looked at her.

"That depends. How well do you do?" Dorissa asked. She was surprised to find her tone rather flirty. _I definitely don't drink often enough if the alcohol is already lifting my mood._

"Well enough to best you any day," he said with a crooked smile. It did not touch his eyes.

"We'll see about that." She glanced at his dark robe. "You're a warlock, are you not?"

"Yes, druid. But let us skip the smalltalk and cut to the chase, with which I of course mean the drinking. We can always get to know each other better later..." The look in his eyes made it clear what he meant.

_That is definitely not an option,_ Dorissa thought. _I will be getting drunk, and you may be one of the better looking blood elf males I've seen, but, besides being slightly creepy, you still look like a crossdresser._

Aloud she said: "You're right, we're wasting time when we are the ones who should be wasted." She turned to the bartender. Zaladin caught her eye.

_Be careful,_ he lip synched, shooting a brief glance at the blood elf.

"I couldn't help but overhear your conversation, and I am willing to sponsor your beverages in order to watch you lose that bet of yours," the bartender said, grinning.

"That is oh so very kind of you," Dorissa said with a cocked eyebrow and a smirk, and the orc filled both her and the warlock's mug.

"Last elf standing," Dorissa proclaimed. They toasted and drank.

Drinks were passed around frequently, and the hours became a blur. There was singing and laughter, in none of which the warlock participated.

He did not seem to be under the influence at all, and Dorissa suspected him of cheating, but she had no idea how he managed to do so with all the orcs around them watching and cheering with each mug that was emptied. Dorissa, however, was beginning to feel the warm dizziness and reduction of her vision that were the results of the consumption of ale.

After a long time, the blood elf declared: "I give up. You win, druid."

"But you're hardly affected at all?" Dorissa said, trying hard to focus.

"Trust me; the guy's decision is wise. I'm impressed you're not barfing by now," the bartender stated, cocking an eyebrow. Dorissa turned her head in the warlock's direction, but his seat was empty. She looked around for him, but he was nowhere to be seen.

She then felt Zaladin's cold hand on the small of her back. A thrill shot through her intoxicated organism, and she turned slowly to face him. She silenced the voice in her head telling her to stop behaving like an idiot and leaned closer to him, resting her hands against his chest.

"Will you listen to me for a minute?" Zaladin asked. His hand shifted to resting on her waist, and his other followed.

Through the blurry sepia that was Dorissa's vision, his eyes shone like bright stars in the night. She stared at him, mesmerised by their light. _So beautiful..._

"Dorissa?"

She shook her head to clear her mind. "Yes, of course, sorry. What did you want to say?"

"I am glad you have enjoyed –"

"Pff, no you're not, you don't feel happiness," Dorissa cut him off with a silly giggle. She swayed a little, and the troll pulled her closer and let her rest her weight against his body, making her pulse accelerate.

"Will you please let me finish?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm sorry. I'm quite flattered you haven't left this place without me yet since I've been so terrible all night." She smiled mischievously at him. "This feels kind of nice." She pressed her body even closer against his. She was annoyed to find that the sensitivity in her fingers had been replaced with prickling, and she could not actually feel that she was touching his hard chest.

"This seems to be the right strategy," Zaladin stated.

"What do you mean?"

"You told me of Oldarion Lightseed and mentioned that he despises my race. I am sure he would be less than pleased if he knew you are practically in my arms at this very moment. You should spread that rumour when you return home."

"Oldarion, yes... I had entirely forgotten about him. Now that you brought him up, though, it should be your duty to take my mind off him again," she said, a seductive smile playing on her tingling lips. She was thrilled to feel that he appeared to be lightly stroking her waist.

"I suppose it is..." The look in his eyes then confused Dorissa. She was unsure what it was she thought she saw, but she liked it. Whatever it was, it made her feel very sexy.

He then let his hands drop from her waist. "Now, though, I want you to go to bed. You will most likely have an intense headache tomorrow, so you should get as much sleep as you can."

Dorissa stared at him, slightly offended. She then sighed. "You're probably right." She turned from him, immediately feeling a wave of dizziness that almost made her fall over.

"Do I need to escort you?" Zaladin asked. Where she would have expected mocking sarcasm, Dorissa thought she heard a hint of worry in his voice. _How curious._

"No no, I'm fine, really." She began walking unsteadily when Krohn appeared in front of her.

"Goodnight, little one. We will meet again one day." The tauren gently patted her head with a large, furry hand. She smiled and hugged him goodnight. She already liked the big fellow a lot. She then made her way to the stairs.

Clinging to the banister to maintain her balance, she ascended the stairs. She made it to the top and began walking unsteadily towards the end of the hallway that was only lit up by a single candle at the far end. When she passed the third door on her right, the opposite one opened. The warlock stepped out of the room. He said nothing, but simply stood there in the darkness. His eyes seemed to search her face for something unknown to Dorissa. She did not like the way he looked at her.

"You cheated downstairs, didn't you?" She was relieved to discover that her voice sounded completely in control.

"I did," he said. She again noticed the strange hoarseness in his voice that was different from the blood elf voices she had heard before.

"Why?" He did not answer, but took a step towards her.

"You behave as if you do not realise you are the Horde's property," he stated flatly.

"I am no one's property," Dorissa said coolly. "I just happen to be here against my plans... and will."

"No. You do not seem to understand me. You belong to us now."

"I'm afraid I have to disagree with you. Now, if you'll have me excused, I'm going to bed." She began to make her way past him. She disliked the turn the conversation was taking, and she had a feeling she had walked into a trap.

"The thing is..." The warlock put out his arm and blocked her way. "You do not have an opinion in this matter." She stared at him. There it was again, that strangeness in his eyes she had noticed several times. Now she realised what it was: hunger. And lust.

"Let me pass," Dorissa demanded. He put his hands on her waist and pushed her up against the wall.

"I'm warning you," she said, glaring at him.

"What exactly can you do? You are far too intoxicated to properly control your powers, and if you harm me the entire hold will come for you."

Dorissa was about to respond when she realised that what the blood elf had said was true. They all thought she was there as a captive, and captives were often killed if they tried to hurt someone or escape._ Zaladin was right, I should've been more careful... _ _This is not good..._

She did not get any more time to think. The blood elf's mouth was on hers then. She called for help, but the sound was muted by his greedy lips.

She tried hard to push his body away, but the alcohol had weakened both her balance and her endurance. She hit and kicked him, but he was too strong. He groped her breasts violently, and she felt him harden against her thigh.

"Get away from her."

Dorissa almost burst into tears of relief. She had never been so happy to hear the sound of Zaladin's voice.

The warlock finally let go of her and took a step back. Dorissa's balance finally failed, and she sat down quickly and leaned against the wall. She was shaking and sweating.

The blood elf eyed Zaladin. He seemed neither surprised nor sorry for his actions.

"I am sure we can come to some sort of agreement here. After all, she is simply a pet," he said reasonably. Dorissa stared at him in disbelief.

"I do not consider how you regard her relevant at all. You will leave the inn now, and you will never cross me again."

"Cross you? I never intended that. I only thought I wanted a share in your toy," the warlock said. Dorissa could not believe her own ears. How could anyone be that provocative and ignorant at the same time?

Zaladin stepped closer. He towered above the blood elf, and dense, unpolluted fury emitted from his entire presence. The warlock finally seemed to understand that he had made a terrible mistake.

Zaladin grabbed him by the collar and with one hand lifted him up to be face to face with him.

"Do not make me repeat myself. Get out of my sight before I do something rash and hideously tempting." He then threw the elf on the floor.

The warlock quickly got up and returned to his room, slamming the door behind him. Dorissa heard him gather his belongings inside.

"As for you..." Zaladin turned to Dorissa. For a few seconds she thought she was going to get the same treatment as the blood elf. But when she looked at Zaladin, something changed in his eyes.

The troll bent down and lifted her up in his arms as if she weighed nothing at all.

"You don't have to –" She started protesting, but Zaladin cut her off.

"Yes, I do. I should have insisted upon coming with you."

Dorissa gave up and closed her eyes. She put her arms around Zaladin's neck to support her weight a little. "Thank you," she whispered.

He carried her to the room and somehow both managed to open and close the door without letting go of her. He laid her down on the mattress and wrapped her in the blanket.

Dorissa opened her eyes and looked up at him. "Zaladin?" she whispered.

"Yes?"

"Do you have to leave?"

"I will stay with you."

"Thank you. I'm so sorry about this... I should have listened to you down there."

"It was not your fault. I do not blame you for anything. Sleep now," he said softly.

She closed her eyes again, and the last thing she felt before she was wrapped in sleep's soft embrace, was Zaladin's hand softly brushing her hair away from her face and gently stroking her cheek.


	7. Untrodden

**Untrodden**

The brilliant sunlight broke through the clouds and stung through Dorissa's still closed eyelids. She squeezed them tighter shut and groaned at the headache she felt building up inside her skull.

"Feeling well-rested and ready for the new day, I assume?" There was a smirk in the troll's voice.

"Urgh, quit the sarcasm, will you?" Dorissa croaked. She squinted through her lids and looked up at Zaladin's face. He was squatting next to her bed. He had still not put his armour on, and his chest was bare. She forgot her aching head upon noticing this. But the most surprising about his appearance was the light expression on his face.

"You look different," Dorissa said.

"So do you, but not for the better." He sounded like he was trying hard not to snicker. "But then again, had I been the one to drink my brains out and nearly get molested, I would most likely not look too cheerful myself."

"Thank you so much for summing that up."

"You are most welcome."

Dorissa closed her eyes for a minute when she once again became aware of the pain in her head.

"You will not be able to sleep all day, you know," Zaladin stated. Dorissa heard him get up and felt his eyes on her face.

She glanced up at him again and noticed something odd: in his arms he held a pile of small, smooth rocks.

"What are those for?" she asked.

"There is something I would like to test. Are you capable of standing up?"

"I suppose so…" She carefully gave it a shot. The headache did not get worse, and her balance seemed to have almost been restored to normal. She bent down to pick up her robe, but Zaladin stopped her.

"That will not be necessary just yet. Stand there." He pointed towards the wall to Dorissa's left. She did as the troll said. She then watched as he moved to the opposite wall.

He then hurled one of the rocks at her. Taken by surprise, Dorissa only barely managed to dodge it.

"What in Azeroth are you doing?" she screeched.

"As I thought," he simply said, regarding her with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Will you please explain to me what's going on here?"

"Yes. Yesterday when you had been shot, I was wondering why you used your body as a shield when there were so many other options."

"How was there any other option? I am no priest, I cannot shield you through spells alone?"

"Had your reflexes been better you could have caught the arrow with your hands or otherwise blocked it. No one would have been injured."

"I don't think it's appropriate for you to speak of my reflexes like that. Had I not reacted that fast, you would have been shot."

"That is true, indeed, but should we not aim for the best result possible?"

"… What exactly are you planning on?"

"Training you."

"But… we don't have time for that, you need to get to Icecrown?"

"We have all the time we need. And I believe that this is a necessity. I will not see you get lethally injured by sacrificing yourself for me again." And with that he hurled the second rock. This time, Dorissa caught it with her hand, but she failed to catch the next one and had to dodge it.

"For how long will this go on?" she huffed in an annoyed tone.

"Until I am satisfied with your progress."

"But that will take days! I'm a caster, this is not my element!"

"I am a patient individual."

Dorissa was not given any more time to argue, as Zaladin took advantage of every slip in her concentration to fling another rock at her. His speed was unbelievable. When the pile in his arms had almost been used up he somehow managed to gather up the rocks scattered across the room and throw them again without leaving time for Dorissa to recover between his throws. It was not long before she was panting, her body covered in a fine film of sweat.

"I did not sign up for this," she managed to shout after catching another rock. She threw it back at the troll. He caught it nonchalantly and hurled it back at her, forcing her to jump aside.

"You are my assistant. I decide how I put you to use. Actually," he threw two rocks at once, "I have not at all exercised my rights as your superior on this trip." His voice was completely calm, and his physique revealed no signs of exhaustion in any way.

"Strange that your choice of usage involves throwing things at me," Dorissa grumbled. She caught both the rocks and returned his throw. The next she knew, Zaladin leaped into the air and somehow flung five at her at the same time. She managed to catch three before having to do a side-roll to dodge the last two.

"Oh, believe me, I could think of other ways to use you. This, however, is the only one for the time being that may save your life one day."

"You do know that what you just said sounded incredibly perverted, don't you?"

"I may have been aware of it." His speed increased. He was now moving closer while throwing, giving Dorissa less time to catch the rocks he threw at her. The glimpses she caught of him between focusing on the small grey projectiles did not help her concentrate. Having wanted to see him without clothes on since the dream two days before, it was very hard for her to take her mind off the fact that all she had to do to see his bare, muscular chest was to look up. It was a very inconvenient distraction, and she did her very best to avoid looking at him.

He did not make it easier for her. The closer he moved to her, the more aware she became of his pale skin. _Could it perhaps grant me a few seconds to recover if I simply closed the distance between us and touched him?_ she wondered briefly, but a few seconds later she had to shove the thoughts of physical contact aside when the rocks seemed to rain down from above. She made a quick decision, jumped to her right and grabbed hold of her staff that lay on the floor next to the mattress. She began parrying the rocks with it, once in a while catching them if one of her hands was free. _Why didn't I think of this earlier?_

Her self-satisfaction faded quickly when Zaladin's throwing speed accelerated again and parrying became hard, too. Her staff flashed and danced with her body, visible only as a blurry circle of dark purple in the air as she had to spin it in front of her to avoid being hit by the flying rocks.

Zaladin suddenly stopped attacking her. The next moment he was right in front of her. He caught her arm, spun her body around so that her back was turned to him, and with his hands he locked her arms behind her back.

Dorissa's breath came in quick pants, and her heart raced intensely.

"What game of yours is this?" she hissed.

"I am not entirely certain… But it does entertain me, so I suppose I should give it a name. "Interrogation" seems a rather fitting name to me." Dorissa felt his cold breath on her shoulder and neck and realised how close his head must be. The sweet, cold scent of his bare skin enveloped her. She felt slightly dizzy.

"What is the purpose of this game, then?" she managed to ask.

"Acquiring information, as the title would imply." His grip tightened slightly, and he leaned closer. "You dreamt of me that night."

"Why does that matter to you?"

"I want to know what exactly it was you dreamt."

"I think you already know. So why do you find it necessary to fixate me like this?"

"This does not have anything to do with your dream. This is about your body."

"My… body?"

"Yes. You see, it is interesting how your body responds to my words. I have been watching it since we set off on this journey, and I have wondered what it would be like to experience that myself… I have seen how your muscles tense when I look at you; I have almost heard the blood accelerating in your veins. And now, I want to know how it feels against my skin…" She felt him breathe in the scent of her hair, and her eyes widened. "You are very interesting," he said. There was a hint of mischief in his voice.

"… What information is it that you want, Zaladin?" Dorissa asked warily.

"I want you to tell me how I made you moan… What I did that had you twist and gasp, sweat and breathe my name."

"You know already."

"I want to hear it from your lips." He pressed his body against hers, making her gasp. "Tell me."

"Fine," she said through gritted teeth. "You touched me. Satisfied?"

"No. That is not nearly enough."

Dorissa bit her lip. She then took a deep breath. "You caressed me. You teased me and gave me pleasure. You wanted me."

He pulled her arms up above her head. He held her wrists with one hand and moved to stand in front of her. He stepped closer and forced her to back away from him until her back hit the wall. He leaned in, and a small, crooked smile played on his lips. "That was not so hard, was it now?"

The blood rushed in Dorissa's ears. She felt completely overwhelmed. "This position…"

"Yes?"

"It's a little too much like the dream…"

"Hmm. What would I have to do now to recreate it completely?"

"You… I… W-why are we having this conversation again?"

"Curiosity."

"Curiosity justifies this?"

"I most certainly find that it does, yes."

"What if I don't?" _As long as he's in I might as well play along…_ Dorissa presumed to lean closer to him and fix his eyes with hers. She cocked her head, and her lips parted slightly.

"That would complicate matters slightly… But, as I mentioned earlier, your only choice is actually to obey me. In a manner, you could say that I own you. For now."

"What exactly made you reach that conclusion, my lord?" A sarcastic smirk pulled at the corners of Dorissa's mouth.

"You did."

"Is that so?"

"You are proving me right at this very moment. You share your secrets with me and let me control you if that is my wish. In truth, it is not a conclusion I have drawn, it is a fact I am stating."

In a flash he released her wrists, leapt away from her and began flinging rocks again. He caught Dorissa completely off guard, and she was hit by the first two. "Ow!"

"Restore your focus!" Zaladin said firmly.

_I wonder who of us is losing it. It might just be me,_ Dorissa thought and parried the next round. 

* * *

Several hours later, the sunlight had been replaced with a dim, grey light. In the distance the soft rumbling of thunder was heard. Zaladin gathered up the rocks that were scattered across the room and piled them up in a corner. "Enough for now. We will continue the journey when you are ready. If I were you I would not let my guard down, though. I may decide to test you again when you least expect it."

"Brilliant, I sure will look forward to that," Dorissa panted, slightly agitated. She kneeled and wiped the sweat off her forehead. "And just so you know, I am not going anywhere before I have washed myself."

"Feel free. The river lies to the east. Assuming that you are not interested in having your head cut off, I will advise you to keep away from the logging camp."

"… Will do." Dorissa put on her boots, grabbed her staff and robe and left the room. She hurried down the stairs, ignoring her burning muscles. She was about to open the inn's front door when she heard the bartender's voice behind her.

"That's a very bad idea, you know."

She turned around and stared at him. "What is?"

"Trying to escape."

"Oh, no, you have it wrong. I just need a bath."

"I see." The orc kept staring at her. He seemed to have forgotten about cleaning the empty mug he held in his hand.

"… Is there something you want to say to me?" Dorissa asked after staring back at him for a while.

"I don't know… I've just been wondering about you and that death knight."

"What about us?" she asked warily.

"I'm not as dumb as I may look to you. And I believe the whole hostage story less with every minute I consider it."

"Because I'm allowed to roam freely?"

"No. Because you're not taking advantage of your freedom."

"Let's say that your hypothesis is wrong and I am actually a captive. Would it not be incredibly stupid trying to get away from here? In case you forgot, I'm a night elf in the middle of a Horde stronghold."

"You're proving my hypothesis right at this very moment. Escaping the hold wouldn't be a problem for you, I'm sure. What's strange, though, is how you seem to be completely unaware that your 'captor' might just score as the most horrifying being ever to set foot in this harsh world."

"… Right. He is unique, that I know."

"Unique?" The orc snorted. "I can't believe you're that unaffected by him."

"Truthfully, I'm not. I have never met anyone who has intimidated me more than he has, and I have only known him for a few days. And those few days are already beginning to feel like weeks. But I am getting used to him. I don't really have that much time for chit chat, though. It's probably not a good idea to keep him waiting too long."

"Wait, I have to ask. What is it with you two?"

"What do you mean?"

"I saw the way he looked at you just before you left yesterday. The look in those cold eyes…" The orc shivered. "He looked like he was going to eat you."

"… I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yeah, you do. Don't think I'm falling for that. You were trying to seduce him, weren't you?"

"I was not!" Dorissa half-shouted.

"Hey, relax, will you? I just want to warn you. Every aspect of that death knight is dangerous. You shouldn't get close to him."

"… Thanks for the advice. Good day to you." Dorissa turned around before the orc had time to utter more disturbing insight, stepped out the door and quickly closed it behind her. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. She then hurried through the yard and out the opening in the heavy metal barricade around the hold. After running down the hill outside the hold she made it to the river.

Spotting the logging camp to her left, Dorissa went right and found a spot by some trees where she would be quite protected against the eyes of any curious travelers that might pass by. She undressed, dumped her clothes on the ground and leaned her staff against one of the trees. She then lowered her body into the cool water.

The small river was deep enough to allow swimming. Taking advantage of this, Dorissa swam further out. When she again noticed her complaining muscles she rested on the edge of a small, green spot of land in the middle of the running water.

_I cannot keep this up,_ Dorissa thought. _It doesn't work. I shouted at that poor orc just because he mentioned… whatever that was yesterday. That means there might just be a tad of truth in his words._

She glanced up at the sky. Thick, grey clouds were pulling in. A raindrop landed on her cheek. She closed her eyes and sighed. _Washing away the mistakes of the past… yes. There's no denying it anymore. I really am attracted to him. But I'll have to repress it. I can't act as a proper life guard if my mind is set on nothing but physical pleasures._

The rain began falling softly. Dorissa took a deep breath. _He's only playing with me. He's still trying to find his trigger, and he finds me interesting. That is the only reason he has for acting so strangely towards me, _she thought and dove under the surface of the water. She sat down on the soft river bottom as well as she could manage with the stream doing its best to pull her along. She opened her eyes and saw her shining hair float around her head, ghostly threads of silvery white in a world turned grey.

_But what about the sudden pain he seems to be experiencing? How can I explain that?_

Relaxing her muscles completely for the first time in days, Dorissa held her breath for three minutes before the lack of oxygen began to tug at her lungs.

She pushed off with her feet, and a few seconds later her head broke the surface. She wiped the water out of her eyes.

The rain was pouring down heavily now. A few swimming strokes brought her back to the river bank. Stepping up on the wet ground, Dorissa found that the rain was surprisingly warm, and despite being naked she did not freeze at all. She then came to look at the spot where she had left her clothes. _You've got to be kidding me.  
_  
Her staff still stood against the tree, but everything else was gone.

She covered her breasts with her soaking wet hair and grabbed her staff to hold it in front of herself, thereby covering her most intimate part as well as she could.

"Where are you?" she said loudly, her tone annoyed. She scanned the terrain, her eyes narrowing. She did not hear or sense any sign of his presence, but she had no doubts. "I know you're here."

A few seconds later, Zaladin stepped into sight a few meters in front of her between two tall, dark trees. The rain fell on his bare chest, making his white, scarred skin glisten. Most of his mane had maintained its elegant volume, the black tips still pointing upwards, though a few strands had succumbed to the falling water and clung to his chest and back. He carried a dark blanket under his right arm. He seemed completely unaffected by the irritated look on Dorissa's face and her nakedness.

"What is the meaning of this?" she asked.

"I decided it was for the better to take your clothing inside before it became too wet. It would be hideously inconvenient if you were to catch a fever, would it not?"

"Of course it would. Now, are you going to hand that over or not?" she asked, pointing to the blanket under the troll's arm. She fixed his narrowing eyes with her own as he finally moved towards her. He stopped a foot away from her. His eyes wandered and took in her slender figure. Dorissa pulled the staff closer to avoid revealing too much. She uttered a silent prayer that her hair would be able to hide the most obvious sign of what his nearness was causing. To be on the safe side she shifted her hold on the staff so that her arms covered her stiffening nipples. She watched him as his eyes lingered where her skin was exposed the most.

_I wonder… What if I turned his reaction game around?_ Dorissa thought. She imagined what would happen if she stepped closer and pressed her wet body against his. _It would be a good way to get revenge for whatever he was playing at this morning…_ She restrained herself. _Bad idea. Although, terribly tempting…_

Zaladin suddenly groaned and closed his eyes tightly. He quickly handed her the blanket. His fists balled up, and he sneered.

"What is happening to you?" Dorissa whispered. She reached out, and as carefully as possible she gently touched his face.

Zaladin screamed. His unholy voice echoed through the woods, making birds nearby screech and flee for the safety of the sky.

He collapsed on the ground. His back arched as his body spasmed, and he convulsively clenched his hands around his forehead. Dorissa gasped. She quickly wrapped the blanket around herself and kneeled next to him. She made a quick decision, grabbed hold of his tusks and sat herself on his torso. It took all her strength to hold him down and keep him from hurting himself or her.

After a few minutes his cramps began to wear off. At last he lay completely still on the ground, but his muscles were still tense and quivering, and it took a while before his eyes opened. When they did, his body finally relaxed, and he looked up at her. She let go of his tusks, and her hands dropped to rest on his chest.

"What should I make of this?" he asked quietly. It seemed he was including both his pain and her position on top of him in the phrasing of his question.

"I cannot say," Dorissa answered truthfully.

The expression on the troll's face emitted confusion. He almost looked frightened.

"Zaladin… Are you worried?"

"I do not know." He sounded completely bewildered. He shifted to supporting his weight on his elbows and stared at her.

"I'm with you through this," Dorissa whispered softly.

"Thank you."


	8. Prolonged

**Prolonged**

The sun was still blocked by heavy clouds when Zaladin and Dorissa packed their belongings the following morning.

None of them had uttered a word since they had returned to the inn the day before. Dorissa had been too confused and worried to feel awkward about finding herself sitting on top of the troll wearing nothing but a blanket and her frayed dignity.

When they descended the stairs and were about to enter the tap room, Zaladin placed his hand on her shoulder.

"What?" Dorissa asked and looked at him. He did not meet her eyes.

"I am aware that the bartender does not believe our cover story, but I do not see it necessary to give the rest of the hold more reason to think we are anything but captor and captive. I will hold on to you until we are out of sight," he explained quietly.

"Alright." _Not that I'm complaining about you touching me,_ she added in her head.

The tap room was almost empty. A voluptuously curved female troll sat by the bar alongside a couple of slightly boisterous Forsaken males.

Zaladin steered Dorissa towards the bar and asked the orc to bring them fresh rations before they left. Dorissa noticed the female troll eyeing the death knight with a lustful gaze. She got up and walked over to them. As Zaladin turned around after packing away the food and water he had bought, the female stood in front of him and blocked his path. He cocked an eyebrow at her.

"How come ya be wastin' yer time on dat flimsy creature when ya could be enjoyin' da pleasures of life with Vek'na here?" the troll asked and tossed her thick pink braids over her shoulder. "Ya wouldn't regret gettin' to know me," she added.

Dorissa glanced up at Zaladin. His expression was completely blank when he spoke: "I am sure your company is most delightful, but we must be going. If you will have us excused…" He began leading Dorissa towards the door, but Vek'na did not give up that easily. She grabbed his shoulder and held on to him.

"Not so fast. A handsome male like yaself is not supposed to be denyin' himself a little fun, if ya know where I be goin'? Oh, dose be some pretty big tusks ya be sportin', mon." She boldly let a finger slide along the left of them and flashed him a beast-like grin.

Dorissa had heard of the mating habits of trolls. She knew that they were often quite loose beings, and what took place in front of her eyes confirmed it. She wondered if Zaladin would have responded differently to Vek'na's display of interest in him if he had had a less vacant heart. A flashback of the blue-skinned rogue appeared in Dorissa's mind. He probably would. She suddenly felt jealousy tugging at her insides.

She looked up at Zaladin again and was surprised to see confusion in his expression. It was only there briefly, and when he answered his tone was dark and indifferent: "I am dead, Vek'na. I cannot give you what you seek, and nothing _you_ can offer me will ever satisfy my desire." He then pealed the troll's hand off his shoulder and steered his night elf companion away from the offended female and out the door.

Dorissa glanced up at him again. His brow was furrowed, and the confusion was back in his eyes. She wondered what he could be thinking. She was puzzled, too. _How can one who spends so much time trying to provoke emotions within him pass on such an opportunity?_ She also did not know what to make of how he had emphasized the word 'you' when he had turned down Vek'na's offer.

Leaving Conquest Hold behind them, the druid and the death knight entered the woods once more. They headed in the same direction as the small road would have taken them, but they both knew they had already been seen by too many eyes, so they kept in the shadows of the tall trees.

A sudden hum of magic emitted from one of the pouches attached to Dorissa's belt. After searching through the things inside it, she found that the vibrating originated from the enchanted scroll. It felt slightly warm against her skin. Upon unrolling it her eyes narrowed.

_'How is the journey evolving, if I may ask?'_ Dorissa stared at the question. Both the writing style and the choice of words caught her eye.

_'By whom have I been contacted?'_ she wrote.

_'By the beholder of this scroll, of course!'_

Dorissa rolled her eyes. _'Do not think Jillian did not warn me of your intentions, Oldarion. Besides, you should practice copying her writing if you want to fool me.'_

_'I am sorry. It was hard to restrain myself. I long for you too much.'_

_'Why will you not leave me be?'_ she scribbled, annoyed.

_'Because you and I are meant for each other. Why you cannot see it is a mystery to me.'_

Dorissa let out a low noise of disgust. Distracted by her irritation, she forgot she was not alone.

"What bothers you?" Zaladin asked.

She shot him a brief glance. For a moment she debated whether or not she wanted to tell him. She then sighed and explained the function of the scroll to the troll. "Oldarion seems to have borrowed it without Jillian's permission." She handed him the scroll and let him read the words before they vanished.

"Hmm… Would you be kind and let me have that for a minute?" he gestured towards the quill in Dorissa's hand. She looked at him warily and then slowly placed the quill in his outstretched palm. She then leaned closer and tried to catch a glimpse of what he wrote, but his cloak covered most of it, and she was only able to catch a few phrases and words before the enchanted ink sank into the parchment. Among them were 'preposterous behaviour', 'revolting philandering' and 'ungodly wrath'.

Zaladin then sent her a tiny crooked smile and returned the scroll to her. "That will either have shut him up or driven him even further into his pursuit of you. Let us not hope for the latter."

"You are unbelievable."

"You say that as if you mind what I did. I know that is not the case."

Dorissa chose not to answer.

Their path brought them back on the road. Zaladin crossed it, and Dorissa followed him into the forest on the other side.

She glanced up at him. "Did you feel anything at all when that female, Vek'na, tried her luck with you?" she asked.

Zaladin looked at her. "Why do you want to know that?"

"No reason in particular…"

"That is not the truth. You have a reason. But you do not want to share it with me."

"What does my reason matter to you?"

"I do not know. But somehow it does. Will you tell me?"

Dorissa looked away from him. "I… When I looked at her I saw the lust for life I know you should have. I do not understand… What you search for is a way to awaken your sleeping emotions... Why would you turn down her offer when being with someone like her might bring your soul to life again?"

Zaladin stopped her by putting his hand on her shoulder. They had reached a small clearing. There had been a slight change in the temperature to the colder, and the sky was only slightly visible through the wide tree tops above them.

Dorissa looked up at him. His eyes were surprisingly soft. "Vek'na is not the first of my race to have offered herself to me. Despite being dead, to the females of my people I am still a potential mate. Their primitive instincts make them see an experienced, high-ranking male they think capable of producing strong offspring. That is all."

"But everything else has failed? If curvaceous females of your own race are unable to reach you, what can?"

"Not everything else has failed." His eyes locked hers.

"What are you saying?" Dorissa whispered.

Zaladin's lips parted as he was about to form an answer.

Something suddenly caught Dorissa's ear. It sounded like thin strokes of wings. She was about to inform the troll, but he was already aware of it.

"Stay still," he said. He dumped his packs on the ground and gestured for his elf companion to do as he. His eyes were fixed on the narrow strip of sky visible between the tree tops. Dorissa followed his gaze and now saw where the noise came from.

The scrawny remains of a gryphon had appeared above them. Its master steered it downwards and landed a few meters away from the two.

The newcomer hopped off the skeleton's back and removed his helmet. He, too, was a troll death knight. His skin was greenish white, and his large mohawk was a fading shade of dark orange. Dorissa got the impression he was younger than the death knight she was with. His posture was also the norm for a troll, making him look far smaller than Zaladin.

"Zaladin Grimtusk. It's been a long time, mon," he said. His voice was far from as deep as Zaladin's, but its strange screeching undertone still made Dorissa's flesh creep. It felt far from what Zaladin's voice did to her skin.

"It has, indeed." Even though Zaladin seemed to know the troll before them, Dorissa did not feel any change in the tense and wary atmosphere that seemed to have enveloped the three of them with the arrival of the other death knight.

Zaladin turned his face towards Dorissa's. "This is Rakh'jin. He was risen a few months before I left the service of the Lich King." He turned his head back in the newcomer's direction. "I taught him the ways of the death knight."

"Dat ya did. Where'd ya find de elf, and what be her function?" Rakh'jin eyed Dorissa. She glared back at him.

"This is Dorissa Nightsky, one of the strongest druids of her generation I have yet encountered. She accompanies me on my journey." Dorissa felt her face heat slightly at the praise in the death knight's voice.

Rakh'jin nodded. "Da king be makin' me Overlord now," he stated. "After Drakuru. Ya remember him?"

"How could I forget. We were sparring partners, however brief the pleasure was. The overgrown flesh wound gave me this," Zaladin said, gesturing towards the scar across his eye.

"I must thank him da next time I see him."

"But of course. You might still be able to find the remains of his head on a spike by the Ebon Watch in Zul'Drak."

"Ya killed him?"

"Of course I did." Dorissa stared at Zaladin in fascination. It was very strange watching him exchanging memories of old days. It seemed out of character for him. _But then again, they're not exactly pleasant memories…_

"Ya know yer master wants his favourite creation back," Rakh'jin said.

"I do not serve him anymore. You are fully aware of that."

"Dat is why he be sendin' me. He not be takin' no for an answer."

"There is nothing for me at his side."

"I knew ya would say dat."

"Which makes me wonder why you are still here."

"Da king continued ma trainin' where ya left off. Ma sole purpose now is to face ya in battle and bring ya back to da king or die tryin'."

"I have no desire to destroy you, Rakh'jin. But your words leave me no alternative."

"So be it." Rakh'jin drew his sword.

"Zaladin –" Dorissa started, but her superior shook his head.

"Stay out of this."

Rakh'jin attacked, but he was nowhere near as fast as Zaladin. The more experienced death knight had already corrupted the ground beneath the younger troll's feet. Rakh'jin hissed as the decay caused by Zaladin's spell crept up his legs and ate into his flesh. He leapt away from the red, boiling circle, but his opponent was already waiting for him. Zaladin swung his sword with enormous force and sliced through Rakh'jins plated armour and into his back, sending the younger troll straight back into the still boiling decay on the ground. Even though Rakh'jin's back was severely hurt, he did not seem to be in too much pain, and there was hardly any blood on Zaladin's blade.

Rakh'jin managed to avoid Zaladin's next swing. The corruption on the ground was fading. He grinned at his opponent.

"Ya still da best, mon. Though, I have a few tricks up ma sleeve, too." The runes on his sword began glowing ominously, and a second later another sword appeared in the air next to the orange-haired death knight. "Let's see how ya handle dis," he said and attacked again. His summoned rune blade copied his every strike, but even though his attacks were strong, it was still not enough to turn the battle to Rakh'jin's favour.

Zaladin was lightning fast. He parried every strike dealt to him and at the same time sent cascades of unholy spells at his opponent.

Rakh'jin was already exhausted. Dorissa could see from the look in his eyes that he knew he had no chance against his former trainer. Suddenly he looked up and met her eyes.

Before Zaladin's next strike hit, Rakh'jin did a side-roll, jumped and grabbed hold of Dorissa's hair. He pulled her head back and held his sword in front of her. The cold metal lightly touched the exposed skin on her neck.

Zaladin immediately stopped attacking and landed in a half-crouch on his feet. He glared furiously at the other troll.

"Is that all you can master?" he spat. "I see Arthas has failed miserably in training you."

"On da contrary," Rakh'jin said. He grinned maniacally. "He taught me da most valuable lesson in dis life: always search for de enemy's weakness. It seems I found yer only one."

Dorissa was strikingly calm. She paid very little attention to what was spoken. She instead focused on planning her escape.

Extremely carefully to avoid it being discovered by Rakh'jin, she drew power from the earth she stood on. She felt it slowly creep up her body and reinforce her skin, giving it a bark-like hardness. She then just as carefully prepared herself for her next move. She caught Zaladin's eye and discretely nodded at him once. He understood.

"Kill the elf if you wish. She has great value, but she is not irreplaceable." Even though Dorissa knew the words were necessary to execute her plan, she still found it rather hurtful to hear Zaladin speak of her as an object that could simply be replaced.

"Ya be bluffin', mon. I can tell. But I shall grant ya yer wish."

Rakh'jin's blade cut Dorissa's neck – and hit the layer of bark. As soon as the metal touched her skin, roots broke through the earth they were standing on and entangled Rakh'jin's legs, rendering him unable to move. Dorissa leapt out of the reach of his sword and began firing spells rapidly at the death knight. Zaladin raised his sword and was about to deal the final blow to his former apprentice.

Rakh'jin saw his end nearing.

The roots around his legs could not hold through the rain of spells Dorissa was flinging at her victim; they broke and returned to the ground where they belonged.

Finally freed, Rakh'jin did not hesitate; he sprinted towards his still waiting bone gryphon and hopped in the saddle. The skeleton kicked off from the ground.  
Zaladin reached up to catch the younger troll in a Death Grip, but he was already out of range.

Finding himself safe from Zaladin's deadly swing, Rakh'jin pulled at the reins of his skeletal mount and held it still in the air.

"Ya still got it. But ya be goin' soft, Zaladin. Next time I be spillin' yer guts," Rakh'jin shouted.

"That will take far more than you have in you. You know you cannot best me, Rakh'jin."

"Maybe not yet. But being among da living has left its mark on ya. Ya can't deny it. Arthas will grant me da power to destroy ya. Until we meet again, Zaladin Grimtusk." And with that, Rakh'jin flew away.

Zaladin stared after him. He then squeezed his eyes tightly shut. His fists balled up, and a silent snarl pulled at his lips. He looked extremely frightening.

Dorissa took a step closer. "Zaladin…" She reached out towards him.

"Do _not_ touch me." His voice was cauterizing.

She quickly pulled her hand away. She was about to ask him what was the matter, but she decided it was better if she restrained herself from it. Whatever it was, she was not interested in being scolded for bothering the death knight.

Zaladin turned his back to her. "We might as well set up camp here. If Rakh'jin informs Arthas of our whereabouts, chances are that if he sends out a search party, they will look for us further to the north as they will believe we have continued our journey." His voice sounded strained. It was as if he was forcing himself to calm down.

He walked over to where they had left their packs and moved them to the edge of the clearing. He then began gathering firewood. He piled it up next to a tree which he then sat down and leaned himself against.

Dorissa sat down across from him. She had a feeling it was going to be a long day. 

* * *

It was near sunset, but the last sunbeams were not visible behind the heavy clouds that still dominated the had not spoken for hours, and Dorissa had neither dared speak to him nor look at him. The only noise in the small camp came from the crackling flames in the now lit campfire.

She had gone over the events of the day a million times in her mind, but she had failed over and over again to reach a conclusion as to what could have caused the sudden darkness and anger in the troll's eyes. She still did not have an explanation for his pain, either.

Something suddenly came flying towards her. Dorissa barely managed to catch the object before it hit her. When she opened her hand she found a smooth, dark rock. She stared at it. She then looked up.

Zaladin's eyes were fixed upon her face. He still somewhat seemed strained, but a small, crooked smile had replaced the grimace he had worn on his face most of the day. Dorissa understood: He was finally allowing her to break the silence.

"Zaladin?"

"Yes?"

"Why do you not speak like other trolls?"

He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the tree. "When I served the Lich King, I was always his right hand. He taught me almost everything I know, including how to speak to intimidate and gain respect."

"But you trained Rakh'jin?"

"That I did."

"Then how come he does not speak like you?"

"As I said, I was the King's most entrusted minion. Rakh'jin, on the other hand, was one among many risen who were relatively worthless to the Lich King. I only trained him partially. The remaining time he spent training with other fledgling death knights, and I did not find it necessary to waste time on refining his repertoire and polishing his grammar."

"I see." Dorissa paused. She then slowly added: "He seemed far less cold than you…"

"Indeed."

"Do you know the reason for that?"

"I have thought of it many times, but I have never been sure. My theory is that Arthas' influence has affected me a lot more than I was ever aware of, even though there was a tad of truth in Rakh'jin's words when he said I have become softer. Rakh'jin, though, may have had easier access to growing emotionally than I, as he spent his time among equals and saw the world outside the walls of the training grounds more. Whatever the reason, the only emotions I have ever registered in him are excitement and bloodlust."

Dorissa nodded. "Who was this Drakuru you spoke of?" she then asked.

He glanced at her. "Why does he matter to you?"

"Your past is interesting."

He snorted quietly. "Before I broke my oath to the Lich King, I was to be promoted to Overlord. Drakuru was a member of the Drakkari tribe to the south here in the Grizzly Hills. He was captured and held at the Granite Springs not far from where we are now. He managed to trick adventurers into helping him aid the Lich King, and Drakuru escaped and was made part of the scourge. I trained him in the time before I broke the King's chains, and Drakuru was made Overlord in my place."

"How does that end with him giving you that scar?"

"Before you joined me, my organizers out of desperation decided to send me and my small entourage of Forsaken through Zul'Drak, which is probably the worst idea they have had this far. Nevertheless, I let them have their way. Upon arriving in Zul'Drak, Arthas' minions and creations discovered us extremely quickly. Drakuru controlled the majority of the scourge in Zul'Drak on Arthas' bidding, and the Lich King ordered his new Overlord to stop me and return me to him so that I could be enslaved once more."

"And then what happened?" Dorissa noticed that her body was extremely tense. She relaxed a bit before looking at the troll again. She found his story very exciting.

"Drakuru gathered a group of his subjects and tracked us down. Having trained with me for a short while, Drakuru knew of my abilities and sent his entire group at us at once. The Forsaken at my side were killed quickly, and I stood alone against the enemy once more. I had them down to three men before Drakuru finally attacked. As you probably recall being told on the zeppelin to Northrend, he managed to hit me when he threw his axe at me while the other three kept me distracted. Once I had destroyed them, though, he was relatively easy to take down. I claimed his head and presented it to the death knights of Ebon Watch. They were quite pleased. They had long stopped keeping track of the times they had tried and failed to put an end to Drakuru's reign over Zul'Drak."

Dorissa nodded. "About your scars…"

"Yes?"

"In the time we spent at the inn I noticed how many you have on you torso. How did you get them?"

"The vast majority of them come from my time as Arthas' right hand. Every now and then he decided to put my abilities to the test by sending me in the ring and having me defeat whatever abominations he sent at me. During these occasions I was bare-chested and given nothing but a rusty blade to defend myself with."

"Your time there was tough, wasn't it?"

He straightened up and looked at her. "I suppose it was. I was made to obey him, though, so naturally I never questioned his decisions." His eyes wandered to the flames in the small campfire.

Dorissa stretched. She then noticed a spot between two of the roots of the tree Zaladin was leaning against that seemed like a good place to lie down.

"Say… Would it be alright if I lay there?" she asked, pointing to the spot next to the troll.

His brow furrowed. "Why would you need my permission for such a thing?"

She shrugged. "You… You seemed slightly bothered by my presence earlier. I was unsure whether or not you would dislike it if I came closer."

"Dislike…" he mused. Dorissa was surprised to discover that he looked slightly amused.

He sent her a tiny smirk and gestured to the spot she had pointed at. Dorissa got up and joined him on the other side of the fire.

She was about to lie down when Zaladin undid the closure hooks on his heavy cloak. "Here." He leaned closer. As he wrapped the cloak around her, his hands brushed against her waist and hips. He then smiled. Dorissa let out a small gasp.

She did not know how to interpret this new expression on his face. But one thing was sure: It made Dorissa's skin tickle and her blood heat. She felt slightly intoxicated. _Oh god._

"Thank you," she managed to say.

As she lay down and against all odds fell into a dreamless sleep, the last things Dorissa sensed were Zaladin's sweet scent hanging in the fabric of the cloak and his glowing eyes upon her face.


	9. Redemption

**Redemption**

Dorissa smiled. She sighed and snuggled deeper into the sweet scent that enveloped her.

A quiet chuckle gently pulled her out of sleep's embrace. She opened her eyes. _Why is everything black? _she wondered. Her eyes continued upwards. The darkness seemed to have a metallic look to it. Her still sleepy eyes reached a contrast to all the black: ivory. _Hm, must be Zaladin's tusks. And the darkness is his __armour__,_ she concluded and closed her eyes again.

Her brow then furrowed. _Wait… How close is he when all I see are his torso and tusks?_ Dorissa opened her eyes again and turned her head. She then screeched.  
Her head was in Zaladin's lap. The troll glanced down at her. "I will not bother to ask if you have slept well this night." His lips twitched into an almost-smile.

"I-I'm so sorry," Dorissa stuttered. She waited for him to tell her to move, but the words did not materialize. "How did this happen?" she then asked.

"Once you were asleep I tried to adjust the cloak so that you would have something to rest your head on. I lifted your head carefully, but you then moved in your sleep and ended up resting in my lap. I did not want to wake you up. You looked very comfortable."

"I probably was. Well… I am." Their eyes met. Dorissa blushed slightly. "We should probably get going," she said quietly after a while.

"We probably should." Neither of them moved. Dorissa felt Zaladin's right hand playing with a strand of her hair. She tensed slightly to restrain a pleased sigh from escaping her lips.

"What is the meaning behind these?" the troll asked. His finger gently touched one of the vertical marks on her face.

"They used to be sentinel division marks, but what with us aging so slowly, nowadays they simply mean that you are or used to be a capable combatant."

"So you used to be a sentinel?"

"Yes, briefly. Callan Fadesong saw potential in me and encouraged me to join them. It was never really what I was looking for, though. I am not fit for melee combat."

"Callan Fadesong… The older male who accompanied you in the Undercity?"

"That was him, yes."

"He did seem very caring towards you."

"He is. He has always been there for me when I needed it the most. I have shared almost everything with him."

"But you do have secrets."

"I do."

"What kind of secrets are they, if I may ask?" Mischief played in Zaladin's eye.

"A few filthy ones," Dorissa said, smirking. "And a dark one."

"Exactly how filthy can the secrets of a night elf be?"

"Not filthy enough for me to get shunned by my people. But the dark ones are."

"Interesting." He searched her face for a continuation or explanation, but she did not give him one.

"There's something I don't quite understand," Dorissa said after a few minutes of silence.

"Tell me, and I may be able to enlighten you."

"Yesterday both Vek'na and Rakh'jin spoke to you in Orcish, however dreadful it may have been. Why do trolls not speak Zandali to each other?"

"Many troll tribes have descended so far into barbarism they have forgotten their own language. The vast majority of them, actually."

"Oh. Such loss," Dorissa mused.

"What do you mean?"

"I've heard Zandali spoken twice in my life. I like the sound of it a lot."

The next words Zaladin spoke, Dorissa did not understand, but she recognised the relaxed tone and the rolling tongue she found so fascinating and sexy. She shivered slightly and smiled. "You speak Zandali."

"Of course I do."

"Indeed. What did you say?"

"That now you have heard it spoken thrice."

"Does it really take so long to say such a short sentence?"

"I may have said more than just that."

"And what might that have been?"

Zaladin smirked. "Yes, you would like to know that, would you not?"

"I would, yes."

"In any case, it will be my little secret for now."

Dorissa sighed. "How many languages do you speak?" she then asked.

"Fluently, I speak Gutterspeak, Orcish, Thalassian, Zandali, Common, Darnassian and Draenei. I speak Taur-ahe quite well and have a basic understanding of Dwarwen and Gnomish. Also, I speak many tongues of the different people of Outland and Northrend, and I know most of the Troll dialects across the world."

Dorissa's eyes widened as he spoke. "Bloody hell… How long has it taken you to learn all that?"

"Approximately a year, I reckon."

"Wow…" She stared at him in awe. "That is quite astonishing."

"I suppose it might be to you. For me it has simply been a way to keep my boredom at a certain distance."

"It's quite unbelievable that you can find me interesting in any way, what with you knowing so much. I don't see how I can contribute to your seemingly endless knowledge," Dorissa said quietly.

"You are everything I have never been," he simply said. He turned his head to the left. Dorissa's eyes wandered along his long, ivory tusks.

"Your name… It fits well with these," she said, carefully letting a finger slide along the right of them.

He closed his eyes. He seemed to be pleased with her touch. "I suppose it does."

"Is it your former tribe's name?"

"No. It was given to me when I served the Lich King."

"By Arthas?"

Zaladin shook his head softly. "In the period up to my departure I was often sent out by him to lead attacks on villages and strongholds across Northrend. The few lucky survivors did not catch many a glimpse of me, and they were never able to describe my appearance in many adjectives. The tusks, however, are a quite pronounced feature. As word of my existence spread across the land, they spoke of me as the cold-hearted devil with tusks as grim as the scythe of Death himself. My first name somehow found its way to their ears, and not long after the wanted-posters read 'Zaladin Grimtusk'."

"I see…" Dorissa's finger slid up and traced the root of the tusk. "What exactly does the size of them indicate?"

"The bigger they are, the more skilled the bearer is."

"Skilled in what department, exactly?"

He glanced down at her and sent her a tiny, crooked smile. "The battlefield, of course."

"There's no 'of course' when discussing this topic, you know," Dorissa said, cocking an eyebrow.

"And why is that?"

"Oh, come on. For all I know they might as well be an indication of the size of… well… you know."

"I do?"

"Of course you do!" She felt her cheeks flush slightly.

"I recall you saying there was no 'of course' in this matter." He smirked.

"Bastard," Dorissa said, chuckling. "Anyway, you can't blame me, really. I only saw the look in Vek'na's eyes when she mentioned their size."

"Well, what she wanted was quite obvious. And yes, large tusks are attractive to the females of my race. They show that you are experienced and able to protect your mate and offspring. But I suppose there could be a tad of truth in your theory as well."

"What, are you telling me that you're well-equipped?"

"There would only be one way for you to find out if that is in fact what I am doing, would there not?" Zaladin flashed a cruel grin.

Dorissa suddenly felt a slightly bothering excitement about resting her head in his lap.

* * *

Dorissa folded her arms as she took in the ominous sight before them. "Is this..?"

"Zul'Drak, yes. We will not be going anywhere near it, though. Even after Drakuru's demise the place is still teeming with scourge."

They were standing in the thin beginnings of snow by a lake in the north-western corner of the Grizzly Hills. On the other side of the lake, the cold land of Dragonblight spread, and in front of them the large ruins of temple-like stairs loomed. The rocks they were built of seemed to have been affected by the infected land they bordered; they were mouldering and dark, and Dorissa felt as if simply stepping on them would pass on a little of the dreadful taint that hung like a dark cloud over the once great land beyond the steps.

"This is where you were planning on having winged transportation waiting for us, isn't it?"

"It is, indeed," Zaladin said.

Dorissa turned to face him. She watched as he retrieved a strangely anorexic-looking bone flute from a pocket on the inside of his cloak. He placed the mouth piece against his pale lips and gave it a long blow. An eerie screeching noise filled the air, and Dorissa flinched slightly at the sharpness of it.

Zaladin put the flute back under his cloak and studied the cold, clearing sky patiently. The minutes passed, and Dorissa began to wonder if anyone was daring or stupid enough to break a promise to the troll.

The sound of powerful wing strokes then broke the silence. _Apparently not,_ she concluded.

The mild sun was blocked. Dorissa looked up. An enormous, vicious-looking frostwyrm soared down towards them.

"I thought you said you were sending for a drake?" Dorissa said wide-eyed.

"This is much faster. Are you afraid?" There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"On the contrary; I'm thrilled, actually." Before she had left the Undercity, the emissary, Gorjhash, had briefed her quickly of the many dangers they might encounter when crossing Northrend. He had mentioned the reanimated frostwyrms and described them to her, and she had in secrecy hoped to see one. She now stared up at the remains of the once so glorious creature in deep fascination.

It landed in front of them with a heavy ka-thump. The dark bone wings folded, and it turned its huge, armoured head towards Zaladin.

The risen wyrm greeted its master with a deep, guttural rumble, making the blue runic glow inside its ribcage stir ominously. Zaladin turned to Dorissa, locked her eyes with his and bowed while gesturing towards the heavy saddle on the creature's skeletal back.

"After you," he said with a slightly wicked crooked smile. A tingling feeling shot down Dorissa's upper body and ended in a very intimate part of her anatomy. She scolded herself in her mind, snorted at the troll and climbed the saddle. Once she was settled, Zaladin climbed up behind her. She felt him press his armoured body against her back, and her breathing accelerated when he put his left arm around her waist and pulled her even closer against his torso. She shivered, but she did not want to let him know how tense she was, even though she was quite sure he knew. And if that was the case, he was most likely doing it on purpose. _Just another move in his reaction game,_ she told herself.

The enormous wyrm began running, and a few seconds later it leaped into the air, flapping its heavy skeletal wings to take them higher. Dorissa watched the world beneath them shrink as they rose above the treetops, and she felt the temperature falling the higher they got. Zaladin steered the wyrm's reins effortlessly with his right hand.

Dorissa could tell he was a well-trained flyer, even though she could not actually see it. Every time he shifted his weight, he was perfectly synchronised with the wyrm's movements. He used the arm around her waist to make her body follow his, but every time he did so, she felt him press her tighter to him in a way that made her heart pound faster. She also did not know what to make of the fact that it felt as if the hand he had settled just above her hip seemed to stroke her waist and hip bone once in a while.

"It's not really necessary to hold on to me..." she said, shivering slightly.

"I know. I simply find it easier to manoeuvre this way. And I also find the thought of you plummeting to your death slightly uncomforting."

"I see."

"Does it bother you?"

"No." Dorissa bit her lip. She instantly knew she had answered him too quickly. The troll did not respond.

As they flew over the beginnings of the mountains to the left, the red afternoon sun suddenly broke through the few remaining clouds, and an astonishing sight appeared.

It was a tree, but it was a tree made of pure and shining purple crystal. The sunbeams made it shine so bright it hurt Dorissa's sharp eyes to look at it. A singing noise emitted from the tree and the hovering crystals in and about it.

The wyrm made a sharp turn to avoid the treetop, and Dorissa, mesmerised by the sight, was unprepared. She tilted to the right, and Zaladin's grip tightened around her waist to restore her balance.

He leaned closer to her and spoke into her ear: "Focus." She could feel his cold breath on her neck and his nose in her hair. Her heart sped up once more, and the blood in her veins seemed to heat. She managed to nod once in response.

He lowered his head slightly. His tusks were right beneath her chin now, and she gasped as she felt his lips against her neck when they moved as he spoke again: "Interesting creation, the heart, do you not think? So easily brought out of rhythm..." The slip in focus before was nothing compared to how Dorissa felt then. She clenched her fists around the rim of the saddle to avoid tilting again, and she could feel the hot blood pounding in her ears.

"Why do you say that?" she whispered, and, unable to resist, slowly tilted her head backwards until her hair was blown away by the wind, and her neck was exposed.

"It is yet another thing I am unfamiliar with: the heartbeat. It fascinates me how my sheer presence can have an impact on such a vital organ... and what more than just my presence can do..." He pressed his thighs against hers. The left arm that was supposed to keep her steady was no longer in place, but moving as his hand travelled across Dorissa's abdomen and down her left hip. It continued down her leg, slid under her robe and settled on her inner thigh.

"Zaladin... What –" was all she could say before she had to bite her lip to avoid letting out a lustful gasp. His fingers were sliding up now.

A whimper escaped her lips when one of them touched a very sensitive spot between her legs. Her heartbeat had already been brought completely out of control.

"As I said... fascinating," he whispered, and then his hand was gone and his arm around her waist again.

Dorissa's head was spinning. She gave in to her dizziness, closed her eyes and leaned back and settled against the troll's armoured chest. He did not seem to mind it.

_What had just happened? Did I imagine Zaladin's touch? No, that's impossible. But why would he do such a thing?_

As far as Dorissa knew, the undead did not cave in to a thing as sexual urges. She could not grasp whether or not Zaladin was simply testing her limits as he had done it with so many others before her, or if it could be more than just that. She also had to take all his recent curious remarks and his generally odd behaviour into consideration.

The thought of all these strange new sides of the death knight she suddenly had to learn how to manage made Dorissa sway. Her body went completely limp, and Zaladin steadied her before she tilted again.

"I really must teach you how to deal with distractions in a rational manner," he said, chuckling.  
Dorissa simply groaned.

* * *

They landed in the snowy mountains a mile and a half behind the border of Icecrown approximately two hours later. The sun had gone down, and darkness enveloped their small, silent camp.

Dorissa found the lack of talk oddly bothering and then realised that she had already come to appreciate the sound of Zaladin's deep, double-layered voice, but she did not know what to say to make him speak again. She also felt frustrated for getting so attached to him. And for feeling so drawn to him. It did not seem right. This was not the time to get emotionally involved, and especially not with someone like Zaladin. _He does not feel._ She would only bring herself into misery if she did not get such thoughts out of her head.

But what had happened on the wyrm's back earlier that day confused her greatly. Her body still felt electrified from the desire Zaladin's fingers had brought to life in her. She closed her eyes and shook it off. It was probably better to forget about the incident completely.

But she then all of sudden remembered piece of a conversation, a question that felt as if it had been asked centuries ago because of everything that had happened since. It swirled around in her mind for a bit. She rolled her eyes. _To the Twisting Nether I go._

"Zaladin..." She glanced in his direction. He said nothing and showed no signs of listening, but she knew he was. "How do trolls... kiss?" She studied his face, and her eyes widened when she saw his lips twist into a cruel, crooked smile, as if he had been waiting for that exact question to be uttered. Dorissa bit her lip. He looked so alluring.

Zaladin got up and stood still for a moment, staring straight ahead with a thoughtful look in his eyes. He seemed to be debating something in his mind. He then turned to her. Locking her eyes with his glowing, blue gaze, he slowly moved closer to her and squatted in front of her, balancing on the tips of his toes. Dorissa's heart beat faster and faster the closer he came. She vaguely noticed that the gap between his massive tusks was bigger than she had thought it to be. Big enough to allow his following action.

He leaned closer and somehow without even lightly touching her skin slid them down the sides of her lower jaw, closing more and more of the distance between her and himself. When he stopped, his lips were not more than an inch away from hers.

"Like this," he seductively whispered. Dorissa inhaled his cold, sweet breath. She sat completely still, desperately trying to think clearly. She knew she was in too deep and that her decision now would most likely affect her life permanently. And not to forget, it would affect the remainder of the long journey that still lay ahead.

She hesitated for a little too long. Zaladin slowly began to straighten up, moving away from her again. _Enough! _her subconscious screamed at her. She closed the distance between them, letting her lips crash passionately against his.

Until then she had managed to suppress how much she had yearned to feel his lips against hers. Now that she finally knew, Dorissa was almost unable to stop again. She finally had to remind herself that breathing was a necessity. When she slowly pulled her lips an inch away from his, Dorissa suddenly realised what she had done and let out an involuntary gasp of surprise and shock.

She could feel his icy eyes watching her every movement, but she dared not look up at him. She was not even sure whether or not he had kissed her back, and she was terrified she had somehow triggered the ungodly wrath he had promised Oldarion the day before.

But slowly, painfully slowly, Zaladin moved his face closer and gently let his lips brush against hers. And slowly he wrapped his arms tightly around Dorissa and let his hands slide freely, caressing her back, sides, hips and thighs.

Dorissa's heart was racing; she knew this was not supposed to be, and that she had to stop it.

But the battle that went on in her head was long lost. Her body began to move on its own, making her lips answer Zaladin's kiss while her hands slid around his cold neck, and her fingers braided into his hair. Dorissa's eyes closed, her lips parted, and she trembled and sighed.

Zaladin pulled off his cloak and spread it out on the ground behind Dorissa. He leaned closer, pressing his body against hers, thereby forcing her to lean backwards until her back was almost touching the fabric. He then placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her body the rest of the way down, after which his fingers found the leather cord that kept her robe tightly laced in the back and untied it.

Dorissa unbuckled his chest and arm plates, and they fell to the ground with loud metallic clanks. She then tugged at his shirt, not wanting to break the deepening kiss to remove it. Zaladin seemed to be of the same opinion, for in one quick movement he simply tore it open, shook it off and then continued with the process of exposing more and more of the pale lavender body beneath him.

Dorissa felt her robe being pulled off, and a few seconds later only her thin and slightly see-through undershirt protected her upper body from the chilly night air. But the temperature could not be compared to the iciness of Zaladin's hands. It felt as if she was being caressed by the very snow that surrounded their camp. But it did not bother her at all, for her entire body felt as if it had been set ablaze from inside.

They had now both moved on to removing the other's trousers, in Dorissa's case both plate armour and leather.

She vaguely noticed the sound of more metal falling to the ground above the blood that pounded in her ears like a mad war drum, but neither she nor Zaladin paid any attention to them. Dorissa's hands longingly caressed his white, scarred back, and she moaned from lust when he gently pulled off her undershirt, baring her upper body and drawing trails from her collar bones to her breasts and down her abdomen.

His left hand lingered by her breasts while the right continued downwards.

Dorissa whimpered and arched her back to press herself closer to his icy fingers that removed her already pleasure-soaked briefs and played around her core, touching every most sensitive spot. His every touch seemed extremely experienced. She moaned and craved more, but Zaladin seemed to be enjoying watching her twist and gasp under his dancing fingers.

The death knight rolled around to place his night elf partner on top of him. Dorissa held on to his tusks while his fingers pushed her closer and closer to the edge, making her cry out in frustration. The troll's lips twisted into her favourite, sexy, crooked smile as he watched her softly curved shape twist and turn and her every attempt to please him fail as he found entertainment in denying her control.

Dorissa gasped and sighed when Zaladin finally turned them again and entered her. Her nails dug into his pale skin, and as she gave herself completely to him, her last rational thought was that if Jillian had ever saved her life, she would not feel even half as grateful to her as she did now.

And then there was nothing but him and her, their entwined figures all that mattered beneath the starry night sky.

_Zaladin..._


	10. Diplomacy

**Diplomacy  
**

Dorissa rolled on her side, her eyes still closed. She felt far from motivated to get up and continue the exhausting journey.

But then the happenings of the night before struck her mind like lightning. Her eyes sprang open, and she gasped and sat up much too fast, making her head spin. _Was it another dream?_ she wondered. She looked around in the camp. The fire was still burning, and she felt very warm despite the chilling wind. She looked down and studied herself. She was wrapped in both a blanket and Zaladin's heavy cloak, but underneath she was naked. There was no trace of the troll anywhere, but the sweet scent of his skin lingered not only on the cloak, but also on her body. _So it must have been real,_ she thought, now feeling dizzy.

"Have you slept well?" Dorissa jumped under the cloak and turned her head quickly. _Why does he always have to be so stealthy?_

"Yes... Thank you..." _Oh god,_ she thought, her mouth watering a little. Zaladin was bare-chested once more, and it was torture to not pull him towards her and have him again.

She shoved the lustful thoughts aside and studied his face. He looked completely changed from when she had first met him. There was something far less cold about his presence now, and he looked as if an enormous burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

"Zaladin... yesterday... and last night... why?"

"Yes, I guess I do owe you some sort of explanation, do I not? Though, I cannot say for sure... but what I know is that you, for reasons I am unsure about, too, bring a little bit of life back in me. It started back when you were dying after being poisoned by that arrow." He squatted and looked away from her. "That was what I wanted to tell you the day before yesterday before we were so rudely interrupted by Rakh'jin."

"What happened back when I was poisoned?" Dorissa asked quietly.

"When I saw you fall, something stirred within me. I do not remember ever being scared after my rising. But that day I was absolutely terrified. When tending to your injuries, all I could think was 'Anything, anyone but her'.  
When I had stabilised you, I realised something was different inside me, and I tried to repress whatever it was because it was very uncomfortable for me to actually feel again. It worked. Until you said you had never put your own life in such danger for anyone before. And until you made me laugh. I am sure you remember how I reacted to feeling again."

Dorissa's brow furrowed at the memories of his pain. "So it really was feeling?"

"Yes."

"But what happened then, after you found out repressing it did not work?"

"I gave up. I instead began trying to develop it so that I could use it for my own benefit."

"Which is the reason your behaviour has been so... out of character lately?"

"If by 'out of character' you mean hideously inappropriate, then yes."

"At first I did consider it might only be your reaction game... but yesterday on the way here... I somehow doubt that you would do such a thing to just any one of your life guards."

"No, that was a first. In fact, the entire time I have spent with you has been completely different from anything I have ever experienced before. And I suppose I should probably apologise for my behaviour and for all the tension I have been causing."

"Yes, most would probably consider it sexual harassment," Dorissa said and laughed.

"And you? What do you make of it?" Zaladin asked. There was a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"Zaladin... I slept with you last night. Do you really need an answer?" she said, cocking an eyebrow.

"I suppose not," he said, a crooked smile appearing on his white lips. He straightened up and moved closer to her, his eyes suddenly darkened by hunger.

Dorissa's subconscious screamed yes, but she quickly held up her hands to make him wait. "There is one other thing that bothers me, though..." she said, now blushing slightly.

"You can ask me anything you want," he said, stopping, though the lustful hunger in his eyes did not fade.

"Well... back when I healed the cut you got after I was poisoned... And when you injured Rakh'jin's back the other day..."

"What about it?"

"You explained to me why your wounds cannot heal on their own, but also that they do not bleed. You said your heart beats much too slow to let your blood flow properly. And Rakh'jin's cut did not bleed even the slightest, either..."

"Yes?"

"Well..." She hesitated.

The troll's eyes softened. "Dorissa?"

"How can you get an erection?" she blurted.

Zaladin stared at her.

Then, without any warning, he burst into laughter.

He sat down to control his laughter, but even then the guffaws kept coming. It was so out of character for him, and Dorissa simply could not stop staring, her eyes the size of tea cups. But then his laughing shifted to an agonised growl, and suddenly Zaladin was lying on the ground in cramps, his hands pressed to his head. Dorissa was by his side instantly. She lifted his head into her lap and held him as still as she could without being injured by his tusks.

His cramps soon wore off and were replaced by slight shaking. His breathing was exhausted and uneven.

"Are you alright?" Dorissa asked worriedly.

"Fine," he choked out. "That... was... hilarious," he panted and laughed again, this time more controlled and far less noisy. It was a fascinatingly clear and light sound for once.

"The answer to your question," he said while rising up on his elbows, "is Blood Runes."

"Blood Runes?"

"They can be used for many different things, including boosting my blood flow."

"But... does that not mean that you could have healed that cut yourself back then?"

"Yes, I could have. But I rarely bother to use my few healing abilities out of combat. And you have to remember that that was while I was repressing everything I had felt. Part of me wanted to find out more already then. So I let you heal me. For days I kept telling myself that I let you because you seemed so anxious to repay me after I saved your life. But deep within me I knew it was only an excuse to know what it would be like to let you touch me now that feeling was returning to me."

"Oh," Dorissa said, raising her eyebrows. "Well, in that case I am sure you noticed that I touched you far more than actually necessary for that procedure."

"I did." He lifted a hand and stroked her cheek. "Another reason I gave up on repressing." His fingers continued down her jaw, neck and collar bone. Dorissa closed her eyes and sighed.

When he spoke again, his lips were at her ear. "You see, most of the living flinch under my gaze and move away from my touch. Had I not been an apparently very important individual I would have had to bribe every healer I have ever had to seek out. But you... you wanted it. You wanted to let your hands wander. You wanted it so much it was practically emitting from you." He slid his tusks around her jaw and pressed his lips to her neck.

"Was it really that obvious?" Dorissa whispered, trying hard to focus.

"It was," he said, a smile in his voice.

"I was always good at hiding such emotions. You seem to have reversed my state of mind. I feel like a ninety-year-old again."

"How does that translate into normal age?"

"On the verge of adulthood."

"How old are you now?" he asked, pulling slightly away from her to study her face.

"Three hundred and two."

"What is the average life span for one such as you?"

"It's slightly difficult to estimate now that we have lost our immortality, but I suppose around nine hundred to a thousand years. Or well, at least that's what it should be. And, for reasons I do not really know of, druids tend to live longer than other elves."

"So you must be around twenty in human years?" he asked after a moment of silence.

"In my early twenties or so, yes."

"You are very young to be such a talented druid."

"Thank you." Dorissa smiled at the compliment.

Zaladin looked away. He for once actually seemed slightly embarrassed by what he was going to say. "I was not the one to... deflower you, was I?" he finally asked.

"No, no," Dorissa said and laughed.

"I thought your kind was monogamous?"

"We... they are. I do not consider myself much of an elf anymore, honestly. I do not fear death, for example."

"Ah, the binding of your souls to the tree world tree, Teldrassil?"

"Yes. I find it pointless. A human life lasts long enough as it is, and I see no reason why you would want more, especially not since most elves tend to get stuck up and arrogant from living too long, believing no other race can master them in intelligence and knowledge."

"What about the bond with nature?"

"Nature is there, beautiful and real. Nothing more than that."

"It is quite ironic that you as a druid tell me this."

Dorissa did not answer at first. "Do you remember when you asked me why the colours of my spells are strange?" she instead asked.

"Yes?"

"I used to be just like my people. But on my journeys I saw how much more alive the other peoples of this world are. Knowledge of the outside world made me lose faith in everything we elves stand for. I am no longer one with nature. We no longer work together as a team. I have to bend and control the wild now."

"So basically what you do now is far more difficult than what the average druid has to deal with?"

"Yes. Every skill I ever had was taken away from me when I stopped believing. I had to secretly study the magic of human mages to find a way to reclaim my abilities. When that gave no results I took up demonology since it basically teaches you how to enslave beings. I figured I could find a way to use the same methods in order to bind the magic I had lost. After many years I finally succeeded. That is the reason for the different colours and light in my magic. It's tainted. That is my dark secret."

"You are without a doubt in so many ways the most extraordinary elf ever to cross my path," Zaladin said. There was a hint of amazement in his voice, but Dorissa thought she heard something else in it, too. It sounded as if he was not all that surprised by her story.

"Though, I doubt your people would think that," the troll added.

"No one but you and Jillian knows. I would most likely be banished from the elven society and forced to live in exile if others knew of it."

"Your secret is safe with me," he said, though there was an unspoken 'for now' in his words.

"Good," Dorissa said, ignoring her confusion about his tone. "If not I would have had to try to kill you," she said sarcastically. "And firstly I would dislike that very much. Secondly I would become wanted by the entire Horde and the majority of the Alliance, and thirdly I doubt I actually could."

"You could."

"Oh?"

"I would not lift a finger against you."

"Why not?"

He did not answer. He instead leaned in and kissed her passionately and deeply, and before long Dorissa had forgotten all about her question as she once more gave in to Zaladin's and her own desire.

* * *

"You do know we are wasting crucial time, don't you?" Dorissa asked. She snuggled closer to Zaladin's cold chest, and his arms tightened around her.

"It could be worse. There used to be a deadline for my arrival, but after so many failures they stopped caring and started focusing on simply getting me to the destination in any way possible. And besides that, we saved up two days when I broke the rules and summoned my deathcharger and when we crossed Crystalsong Forest on the wyrm."

"That's untrue, though. You spent an entire day hurling rocks at me. And the day after, we sat in the clearing for many, many hours."

"I was hoping you would not mention that."

"It's not like I'm in a hurry to leave."

He somehow managed to kiss her forehead without his tusks touching her at all.

"Zaladin?"

"Yes?"

"For how long have you been risen?"

"Ever since the Lich King woke and first began his necromantic experiments."

"Have you always been this high-ranking?"

"Yes. I am quite sure Arthas handpicked his army in the beginning when his resources were more limited than they are now. He must somehow have done background research to find out who I once was and what I was capable of."

"So you were always able to report directly to him, and he trusted you?"

"Yes."

"Then why did you not persuade him into telling you of your life?"

"I knew it would do neither of us any good. And if telling his servants of their past would do Arthas no good, he would see no reason why he should."

"I see." There was a small pause. "For how long were you dead?" Dorissa then asked.

"Far longer than you can tell. My body was frozen and that way preserved longer than the average corpse. That and my name is all I was told, and I cannot say for sure whether or not Zaladin actually is my name. But it does happen that members of the Darkspear Tribe act as if they somehow recognise me, so I have to assume this is my name."

"You never asked anyone who you were then?"

"No. I felt nothing, so it never mattered to me."

"And now?"

"I... I do not know..."

"I, for one, would like to know who you were," Dorissa said, shifting to rest her head on Zaladin's chest. She listened for a heartbeat but heard nothing.

"Yes..." A singular, soft pound escaped his heart. "Maybe I will try to find out one day..." His hand caressed the curve of her back.

Dorissa was silent for a while. She was extremely confused, but she did not feel stressed at all. It felt very odd. She assumed it was because she finally did not have to worry about her attraction to the death knight and his strange behaviour.

"What are you thinking?" Zaladin asked softly.

"There are so many unanswered questions swirling inside my head," she answered quietly.

"You are welcome to ask me anything. I owe you any piece of information you might crave."

"Well... the episodes you have been experiencing..."

"Yes?"

"What exactly is it you feel that makes you hurt so badly?"

"The first time it was being grateful and touched by your selfless actions, after which I discovered that I actually found what you said funny. And later that night you made me experience lust for the first time. These new emotions punctured my mind like needles, which is the reason for my pain."

"What about the first time you collapsed from it?"

"You touched me. The last I felt before I lay spasming on the ground was a shockwave of gratefulness for your caring, followed by lechery caused by your touch. It was extremely unexpected and hurtful."

"That's why you told me to not touch you after Rakh'jin left?"

"Yes. I had realised what sudden contact with your skin could do to me. It would have been a horrible time to be that vulnerable with Rakh'jin still in the area. Oh, and while I am at that, I am sorry for how angry I seemed. All the feelings I was suddenly experiencing at that time were very hard to process."

"Apology accepted," Dorissa said, smiling. Her fingers trailed along two scars across Zaladin's ribs. "At the inn when I was very close to being abused by that warlock... nothing happened to you then, and yet you seemed completely furious. How did you manage to avoid hurting?" she then asked.

"It was the same when you were unconscious. You were in danger. I have been able to keep myself surprisingly in control during those occasions."

"That is extremely sweet," Dorissa said softly.

"I had never imagined anyone would ever use such words about me."

"That doesn't exactly surprise me."

"I did not believe it would." He sighed. "You should know that I can never be fully restored to what I once was. To a certain level I know I will always remain cold. You should not waste yourself on me when you have so many opportunities ahead of you."

"Don't say that, Zaladin."

He did not respond.

"There is another thing I would like to know," Dorissa said, breaking the slightly strained silence.

"What is it?"

"Since you're dead and unable to have an erection without runic assistance..."

The troll smirked. "The way you say it makes it sound so pathetic," he said.

"I know," she laughed, "but I'm not really sure how else to phrase it. Anyway... are you actually able to produce offspring?"

"I am no expert in that department, but I do not think so."

"Then why do female trolls still want you?"

"In that field they are controlled by their basic instincts. They cling to the thought of the specimen they can see I once was. And I do not think they are all simply looking to reproduce. They, too, enjoy the process."

"I see."

They were quiet for a few minutes, this time in a less awkward manner. Dorissa shifted to lying completely on top of the troll. His icy skin sent slight chills down her spine, but she would have it no other way.

Zaladin sighed. "You are so warm..." He pulled her closer and inhaled her scent. "What it is you want with me I cannot grasp. Is it only because you hope to save me from this life? For in that case, I am afraid your cause may be lost."

"No, it's not like that. Zaladin, I have wanted you from the very moment I saw you for the first time. And I'm honestly quite sure you have been more aware of that than I."

"Possibly. But that still does not put an end to my confusion."

"I know. And I know I'm not supposed to want you, either. But... for many years I have been tempted by everything I should not be. Being with you has made me realise I am not ashamed of anything I have done, and I do not regret it, either. What you give me is so much more important to me than anything I could ever achieve with someone else. Your presence gives me confidence and the strength to do whatever it takes to stay true to what I believe in. You have given me pleasure unlike any I could ever have dreamed of. The mere sound of your voice makes me smile. I do not need you to be something you're not, even if it means you will always be far from alive. I was attracted to you in the state you are in now, and I do not wish for you to change."

Zaladin's body tensed as he fought back another episode. Dorissa watched him with concern. It was very uncomfortable for her to see him suffer, but she knew there was nothing she could do to ease his pain.

"Those were strong words," the troll said when he had recovered.

"They were heart-felt. Know that I meant every last one of them."

Zaladin's brow smoothed. "You are a curious being, Dorissa." He hugged her slender figure tighter and smiled.

"Oh, and one more thing..." Dorissa said.

"Yes?"

"My theory about your tusks... I can't say if it works for others of your race, but it most definitely holds truth for your part."

A pleased, wicked chuckle sent vibrations through the death knight's chest, making Dorissa smile crookedly.

* * *

Dorissa's head snapped up. "Did you hear that?" She was almost certain of the noise she had heard.

"Yes. We are not alone. Put your clothes on, and make haste."

Dorissa quickly rolled off Zaladin's chest. Her keen eyes guided her in the early darkness as she gathered her clothes and put them on. Her ears had not deceived her: Something large had landed with a heavy thump in the snow not far away from their camp.

She grabbed her staff and stood by Zaladin's side as he finished re-attaching his cloak at its closure hooks.

The death knight scanned his surroundings. "Over there." He pointed to a particularly dark opening between two minor mountain peaks. Something was nearing.

"I see Arthas has made a few adjustments since we encountered you the last time," Zaladin stated.

"Dat he did. Finally feelin' inferior, Zaladin?" Dorissa instantly recognised the screeching voice: Rakh'jin had found them.

"I would lie if I said I did." The slight warmth Dorissa had detected in Zaladin's behaviour during the hours they had spent in each other's arms had completely vanished: His entire presence emitted ice again and there was no trace to be found that the shell of his frozen core had melted even the slightest.

The moon appeared between the few clouds on the sky, and Rakh'jin was completely visible. Dorissa's eyes widened at the sight of him.

His size had increased since the last time they had crossed paths. His every limb had become an extreme bundle of muscles, and he was as tall as Zaladin now, despite him still not standing up straight.

"Well, den it be time for ya to experience dat feelin' for da first time. Positions!"

Alarming footsteps were heard in the snow behind the small peaks. _This can't be good,_ Dorissa thought. The next moment her fear was confirmed.

An army of ghouls, abominations, cultists and death knights marched through the opening between the peaks. They assembled behind Rakh'jin in a compact formation awaiting his orders. It was impossible for Dorissa to count an accurate number, but she estimated them to be around thirty.

Zaladin turned his head towards Dorissa. "This is likely to be the last battle in which I have you by my side. That will either mean that we fall tonight, or that we make it through and part victoriously at the Argent Tournament Grounds to the north. Should we not aim for the latter?"

"We should, indeed." She met his eyes.

The troll turned his head again and spoke to his former apprentice: "Strength in numbers cannot win this battle for you, Rakh'jin. We will persevere."

"Yer speeches mean nothin' to me. I am only interested in bringin' yer head back to da king and collecting my Overlord title."

"Ah yes, I see you are fit for it already. You look just like Drakuru: a bloated, sallow piece of rotting flesh over-estimating his own abilities. But you are right. Why waste precious time on chit chat when we could be hacking each other to bits?" His tone was completely flat and indifferent as it had been the very first day Dorissa had met him. It made her skin tickle. She was not only getting used to this feature, she was actually starting to find it slightly arousing. She looked away from the two and hid a grim smile.

"What do ya think of waitin' with da hackin' till yer resources be runnin' low? I personally find dat to be da best option." In a few quick leaps, Rakh'jin had positioned himself atop a small ledge on the peak to his right. He raised his sword above his head and shouted: "Destroy dem!"


	11. Severed

**Severed**

The metallic rattling of chains, armour and weapons filled the night as the first wave of attackers charged.

"Cover my back," Zaladin said quietly. He then took a few steps towards the running horde of undead and readied his strike, placing his feet steadily in the snow. The ground under his feet began to stir and boil as it decayed at his command.

As soon as the first death knights were within his reach, he began hurling unholy spells at them. The unluckiest ones who got too close to him fell like flies at the edge of his blade. The once so pure snow was quickly littered with plagued intestines, and the stench of rot filled the chilly air.

In the meantime, Dorissa had decided that this was the right time to bring out her heavier attacks: She focused her enslaved powers on shape-shifting.

Her size increased, and silvery white and purple feathers began growing on her entire body, and once the transformation was complete, in place of the slender elf stood a large moonkin.

Before Dorissa had enslaved her magic, shape-shifting had always made her feel one with nature in an indescribably intimate and beautiful way. Now it was as if she had borrowed a different body, a body she felt uncomfortable using. It had become an ability she used as little as possible to avoid losing her sanity from the paranoia she felt when in the animal forms.

However, she had come to realise that her tainted magic had also made her stronger when in the moonkin form: Her old mind had been so focused on being part of nature she had always felt devastated after killing another living creature.

Now, whenever she shape-shifted her bloodlust grew and her attacks became violent and destructive. This was in any sense preferable from what had been, and she would gladly endure the discomfort if it could help her keep her death knight standing.

Her casting speed increased as she began flinging every spell she could master at the attacking undead. She once in a while also brought down a few of the cultist casters that stood in the background under the ledge upon which Rakh'jin stood overlooking the scenery, safe from harm's way.

The enemy's numbers were thinning at a steadily increasing speed. Soon there were only five persistent death knights left battling Zaladin while Dorissa kept up her aggressive rain of spells.

However, the indifferent expression on Rakh'jin's face bothered Dorissa. She was certain he had more waiting for them, but she was unsure exactly what it could be.

The last death knight fell after having his torso sliced in half by Zaladin's powerful swing, scattering his decaying organs in the snow with a wet, splattering noise. The troll straightened up after kicking a few grey body parts out of his way and met Rakh'jin's eyes.

"This was not all. Get it over with, Rakh'jin."

"Ya sure be beggin' for death, Zaladin. Very well, I be givin' it to ya." He raised his right arm. The ground beneath him began to stir.

Ghouls, skeletons and abominations crawled up from the frozen ground beneath the snow. More death knights and cultists were already marching through the opening between the peaks and gathering behind the rising dead. But Rakh'jin had no finished.

With disturbingly pulsating veins, the large death knight climbed further up the peak. He then concentrated his runic power in a beam which he used to send a blood-red signal up in the dark sky.

Dorissa listened. Above the howling wind she picked out the ominous strokes of great wings.

A frostwyrm appeared above the snowy peak. Remembering the descriptions from her briefing, Dorissa knew that the frostwyrm she and Zaladin had crossed Crystalsong Forest on had been quite large. This one, however, was gigantic. The runic glow inside its ribcage flashed as it let out a deafening roar that echoed across the mountains. On its back sat three cultists. Dorissa spotted explosives attached to their belts.

"The king gave you Chillmaw," Zaladin stated.

"Oh yes. He be a fine specimen, don't ya think?"

"That he is. The thought of destroying him does not please me, yet it seems that it is my only option."

"Unless ya be willin' to give in and join da scourge again."

"You know I am not. Besides, that is not what you want. If I returned to Arthas' side, your promotion would be mine."

"True. But ya be stallin' for time. I be interested in knowin' how ya'll handle him," Rakh'jin said, pointing upwards to the enormous skeleton awaiting his orders.

"Send him in," Zaladin said casually.

"As ya wish." Rakh'jin called an order to the cultists on Chillmaws back, but the wind carried it away before Dorissa's ears caught the words. It was, however, quite easy to interpret the meaning: The attack had begun.

Rakh'jin's death knight footmen charged, and Chillmaw dove.

"Concentrate now! His breath is lethal." Zaladin waited for the immense wyrm to get close enough, then caught one of the cultists on its back in his inescapable Death Grip and separated his head from his body. The man's blood stained the troll's chest piece as he fell.

One of the cultists hopped out of the saddle and landed in the snow. Chillmaw took a deep breath. "Run!" Zaladin shouted before he leapt out of the massive skeleton's way. The moonkin that was Dorissa followed his example and got away in the nick of time: The wyrm's frozen breath cut through the air like a million razor blades. The icicles glanced off the frozen earth beneath the snow, and some of them hit Dorissa's feathery back and penetrated her skin. A pained, owl-like noise escaped her beak.

The many death knights and walking dead had encircled Zaladin, but the troll still did not seem to be having any difficulties coping with their numbers. His attacks melted together and became the graceful dance Dorissa admired so deeply. Not a single strike hit the troll as he leapt, spun, thrust his sword and let his unholy spells hail down from above.

Dorissa shifted out of the moonkin form to tend to her injured back as well as she could in the limited time she had. She quickly discovered there was no point in trying; a cluster of icicles had buried themselves deep beneath her skin, only a few centimetres of the shafts still visible. Her back did not bleed, but she knew that she would lose a lot of blood if she tried to remove the icicles.

She felt a slightly uncomfortable sensation as runic sparks from the ice mixed with her organism. Leaving the unnatural icicles in would most likely cause her skin to scar, but at least she would be of better use to the troll that way than she would if she lay unconscious from blood loss on the ground.

A couple of the still standing death knights and the cultist who had abandoned the saddle had realised that they had no chance against the practically invincible troll and had moved to attacking Dorissa.

The female cultist had begun throwing explosives at the night elf, forcing her into the arms of the death knights who had raised their swords to strike. Dorissa dodged and rolled in the snow to get behind them, ignoring the pain it caused her back. She temporarily knocked one of them out with her staff. She blinded the bombardier with a swarm of angered insects, resulting in the woman falling off the edge of the cliffs behind her. After destroying the last death knight with a heavy load of Starfire, Dorissa turned her head to look at the troll.

Zaladin had raised his sword above his head to finish off the last of his attackers when Chillmaw swooped in from above.

The enormous frostwyrm's claws grabbed hold of Zaladin's raised arms. He managed to free his left arm, but the bone claws clenched around his right hand and his sword fell.

The death knight caught it with his left hand, but the skeleton headed for the sky, dragging him along beneath it.

Dorissa was about to attack the wyrm when Zaladin yelled: "Not yet!"

He raised his sword to strike – and cut off his own hand.

Dorissa screamed. Zaladin fell to the ground. When his feet touched the frozen earth he rolled to cushion his fall and then landed in a crouch. He hid his injured lower arm under his cloak. Dorissa was about to run to assist him, but he stopped her by raising his other hand.

"Now!" he then shouted at her, pointing to the flying monstrosity above. She finished off the young death knight who had regained consciousness and was trying to dismember her, and concentrating all her fury and terror in her spells she began the process of taking down Chillmaw.

The wyrm's last rider turned his mount and headed for the druid. When they were near the ground he leapt out of the saddle, but as soon as his feet hit the ground he was decapitated by Zaladin.

The skeletal wyrm landed heavily in front of Dorissa. She backed, but she was not fast enough, and the skeleton managed to lacerate her upper thigh with its immense claws before her Starfire finally hit and destroyed Chillmaw. Dorissa snarled and fell. Her blood was already leaving a trail of crimson in the snow.

Zaladin had reached her side. He tore open the now dead wyrm's clenched claws and retrieved his hand from its grasp. He held it up and pressed it against his wrist and closed his eyes. Red light suddenly danced around his wrist. A stripe of blood ran from the thin line where his hand and wrist had been severed, and suddenly an explosion of scarlet light enveloped his entire arm.

When the light faded, his hand had been reattached to his wrist, a thin, black scar the only proof he had ever been hurt. He quickly stretched and bent his fingers and looked at Dorissa.

"Why?" she asked, biting her lip against the pain in her thigh.

"Wasting seconds on hacking the claws open would have brought me up too far, and the fall would have crushed me," Zaladin explained in a rush. His eyes quickly examined her state. "Heal yourself. Do not assist me unless I tell you to." He then turned his attention towards Rakh'jin.

Dorissa recovered her composure. She could always scold him for scaring her half to death later. She quickly used her Rejuvenation on the deep wounds in her leg. She then gave herself a boost of Innervate, got on her feet, and while her magic took care of her injury she supported her weight against the enormous skeleton that lay next to her in the snow.

Rakh'jin stood completely motionless regarding his old superior. The confident smirk had been wiped off his mutated features.

"I suppose ya be right about dat druid," he said, nodding towards Dorissa. "She be quite capable handlin' Chillmaw."

"She is. And that leaves you the only abomination left for me to destroy. Are you willing to stand face to face with me at last?"

"I know ya well enough to be sure ya not be givin' me much of a choice." Rakh'jin descended the ledge and slowly moved closer to the other death knight. He drew his blade and stopped three meters away. "Bring it."

Zaladin shifted the position of his feet slightly. Then he charged.

Rakh'jin parried his strike and snarled. Zaladin leapt aside when his opponent swung his weapon and thrust again. Rakh'jin parried once more.

"That strategy will take us no further," Zaladin stated flatly and struck once more, this time hitting Rakh'jin's armoured shoulder. His blade did not pierce the freshly reinforced plate, but it did cause heavy denting, and judging from Rakh'jin's expression, the bones beneath it suffered slightly, too.

Zaladin began his deadly dance. The orange-haired troll was enormous, but his size seemed to have affected his speed and agility. But while he was too slow to keep up with Zaladin's rogue-like speed, his heavy armour and dense structure compensated for it by absorbing most of the blows Zaladin dealt to his body. However, when the older death knight began flinging spells at him, he realised it was time for a different approach.

Rakh'jin managed to leap out of Zaladin's swords range. He then summoned a second rune blade like he had done it the first time the two had faced off. This one, though, seemed to have been improved along with the troll: It was larger, faster and far deadlier than what he had used the last time.

The blade attacked Zaladin rapidly, giving Rakh'jin a few seconds to decide his next move. He glanced at Dorissa.

_Oh no, not this time,_ she thought and readied herself to fight back the enormous troll.

A loud, metallic screeching noise was heard. "You... will not touch her..." Dorissa froze as she heard the words. She had never imagined Zaladin's voice could be so dreadfully horrifying. She turned her face towards the other death knight, and so did Rakh'jin.

Zaladin had cut the dancing weapon in half. The two halves of the blade landed in the snow. He emitted pure fury. In two quick leaps Zaladin had reached Rakh'jin and swung his sword at his enemy. Rakh'jin barely managed to block the strike.

"Do you hear me?" Zaladin whispered. He used the distraction to grab the monstrous troll by the collar and push him over. He landed in the snow with a crunch.  
"You will _never_ lay a single filthy finger on her again." His words dripped acid.

Rakh'jin got up quickly and took a few steps back. "Ya be a fool to expose yer weakness like dat," he said. His eyes flashed red.

As if he had been waiting for a signal, Zaladin closed the distance between the two in one long stride and plunged his blade into Rakh'jin's heart. He wrenched it around and pulled it out.

The blood stood like a fountain from the enormous troll's chest, hitting and staining Zaladin's torso. Rakh'jin fell on his back, screaming. "Dis cannot be!"

Dorissa stared at the scenery, completely bewildered. And then it all made sense. _Of course. Blood Runes.  
_  
"Such ignorance. The Blood Runes you just activated boost the cluttering blood flow in your veins, Rakh'jin. It is simply a matter of striking at the exact moment it happens."

Rakh'jin tried to answer, but his words were drowned in a disgusting guttural noise as he vomited more blood. A pool was forming in the snow beneath his convulsively twisting body. Zaladin took a step back to avoid it touching his feet.

"Monster," Rakh'jin coughed, making the other two cock an eyebrow at the obvious irony of the word. His glowing eyes rolled back in their sockets, and then his body went limp.

Zaladin stood completely motionless by Rakh'jin's side. His sharp teeth ground together, and his fists balled up as he fought back another fit of mental pain.

Dorissa felt warmth flood her cold body. Still limping slightly, the elf closed the distance between them and carefully put her hand on his left tusk, slowly turning his face away from the bloody corpse of his former apprentice. He finally met her eyes.

"You really do care about me after all, don't you?" Dorissa asked.

He stared at her for a long, long time. Then he spoke in a whisper: "Remember that this is all entirely new to me. I am not sure what it actually is I feel. But... if it is even possible for a being like me to ever be able to... love someone... then I know that someone will be you. If there is even the slightest possibility I could ever experience love, I would not hesitate. My fate is tied to yours now."

Dorissa's eyes were slowly filling with tears. She smiled, put her hands on his shoulders and turned his body towards her own. She took a step forward, wrapped her arms around his icy neck and kissed him passionately. His lips moved to answer hers, and his arms pulled her closer. When their lips parted, Dorissa pulled a few inches back to study his face. He raised a hand and softly stroked her hair away from her face.

"If that is the case, I want you to know that I will love you, too, Zaladin," she whispered. She watched in amazement as his every feature softened and a small smile slowly pulled up the corners of his mouth. To her, nothing in the world was as beautiful as that rare, soft smile on Zaladin Grimtusk's face. That all of a sudden pained her, and she had to look away.

"What is it?" he asked softly.

"I don't want to have to leave you," Dorissa confessed.

He put a finger under her chin and tilted her face upwards again. "Dorissa Nightsky. No one has ever brought me to life the way you have, and I would rather die again than simply let that go. I solemnly swear that when the battle that lies ahead of me is over, I will return to you."

Dorissa nodded. Her eyes were tearing up again, and, embarrassed, she sent him a small smile before wiping the tears away with the back of her hand.

* * *

The Argent Tournament Grounds lay before them, the many tents silhouetted against the dim morning light.

As they entered the grounds, a scout shouted from a small tower to the west. Not long after, a trio familiar to Dorissa appeared in the opening of one of the larger tents in the settlement.

The smallest, black-haired figure squealed. "Riss!" Jillian sprinted towards the two and hugged her night elf friend tightly. Dorissa let out a pained groan. The small woman quickly released her and let out a shriek. "Oh god, Riss, your back..."

"I know. I'll fix it in a minute."

Jillian nodded. She then noticed the troll at Dorissa's side. "Hello there," she said, her eyes widening. She let out a slight cough and straightened up. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Lord Grimtusk. I'm Jillian Lee Jones."

"Ah yes, Jillian. I have heard of you," Zaladin said, nodding at the petite human. Jillian let out a shy giggle and did not seem to remember asking what he had been told about her.

The two men who had accompanied Jillian reached the small group: Callan's welcoming face soothed Dorissa's pained mind slightly. The sight of Oldarion, however, had the opposite effect.

"Why exactly have you brought them, Callan?" Dorissa gestured towards Jillian and Oldarion, but her tone made it clear her irritation had nothing to do with the human.

"They insisted upon coming with me when I left yesterday." Callan sent her an apologetic smile.

"I am so relieved to see you again, Dorissa." Oldarion neared and reached out towards her when Zaladin stepped out in front of him, effectively blocking his path. He fixed the elf with his piercing gaze. "Oldarion Lightseed, I presume?"

Oldarion's lips curled up in disgust. He defiantly planted both feet in the ground. "That is I."

Zaladin leaned closer, forcing the obstinate elf to back away slightly to avoid having his eyes impaled by the troll's tusks. "I believe my message to you was quite clear. I will say this only once: Quit pestering Dorissa Nightsky or deal with the tremendously painful consequences. The choice is yours." His double-layered voice was as cold as the ice beneath their feet.

Oldarion's face had gone pale. He quickly moved away and settled on the other side of Callan.

Jillian caught Dorissa's eye. _'Oh my god!'_ she lip-synched, fanning herself. Dorissa smirked in agreement.

"The mages that are to teleport us back to Darnassus are waiting inside," Callan said as naturally as he could under the influence of the less than friendly atmosphere that had enveloped them. He gestured towards the tent from which they had come. "Are you ready?"

"Not entirely. I would like a few minutes alone with my travel partner before leaving," Dorissa said, keeping her tone as casual as possible.

"Of course. Step inside and send the mages out here. They will prepare the portal while we wait for you."

Dorissa sent Callan a grateful smile. She and Zaladin entered the tent. The woman and man inside turned their faces to look at the two. Their eyes widened at the sight of the tall death knight, but they did not comment.

"If you would be so kind and let us have an undisturbed moment," Zaladin said, gesturing towards the tent's opening.

"But of course!" The two hurried out the tent.

"Now," Dorissa said, "first I want to ask you to remove these things from my back."

Zaladin nodded. Dorissa turned her back to him. He gently brushed her hair away from her back to untie the robe's tight cords and pull it down to Dorissa's waist.

The death knight snorted. "This is ironic."

"What is?"

"I will tell you once you have healed yourself." He then presumed to carefully pull the icicles out of Dorissa's back. She felt the blood beginning to run from the holes and twitched slightly from the pain the removal caused, but she knew it could have been far worse.

"There," Zaladin said when he had finished.

Dorissa quickly used her Healing Touch on the wounds and turned her head towards the troll. "Now, what was ironic?"

"It would have been fairly unnoticeable if the icicles had not been pumping runic power into your skin. The magic has etched lines between the holes in your skin, creating an eight-point star. You have the night sky on your back now." His fingers softly trailed over the lines on her back.

Dorissa smiled. "I see." She let Zaladin pull her robe up again, and after he had re-laced its back she turned around and met his eyes. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her deeply. Dorissa's breathing sped up, and her fingers found his soft hair and braided into the white strands.

"What is taking you so long, Dorissa?" Oldarion's head showed up in the opening of the tent. Dorissa shot him a quick glance and then returned to her present occupation. Her current view was far more pleasant than the sight of Oldarion's jaw dropping, even though that picture would have amused her quite a bit.

"Oldarion Lightseed, you can't just burst in like that! They might be – oh my." Dorissa did not need to look to know that Jillian's surprised face had appeared next to Oldarion's.

"Uhm... let's give them a few minutes to discuss what they've been through in private, shall we?" Dorissa heard Jillian pull the loudly protesting Oldarion away from the tent's opening.

Zaladin broke the kiss and pulled a few inches away. He sent her a slightly doleful, crooked smile. "That will cause you a lot of trouble after you have returned, will it not?"

"Probably. I don't care much for the time being, though." Dorissa was completely lost in his sexy smile, despite the sadness in it. She traced his sharp features with her fingertips. His cold, piercing eyes had her completely mesmerised while she memorised every detail in his wickedly beautiful face.

"Will I ever see you again?" she asked quietly. It took all her strength to keep herself from bursting into tears.

"I do not break my promises," he simply said. "I cannot say how long you will have to wait, however. And I will not blame you if you move on with your life while I am away. In fact, you should."

"Zaladin... Our fates are entwined together now. I will be waiting for you."

The death knight's face softened. He pulled her into his embrace for one last, passionate kiss.

As they stepped outside again, Zaladin stayed in the tent's opening and leaned against one of the posts that held up the canvas.

With heavy steps, Dorissa joined the small group awaiting her by the mages that had almost readied the portal to Darnassus a few metres away. She briefly returned Oldarion's furious scowl before turning around to meet the death knight's icy eyes for the last time.

The wind pulled at his long, black cloak. It folded around his large frame, re-creating the looming, vampiric figure Dorissa had come to appreciate the look of. His thin, pale lips formed two, silent words: '_Be safe.'  
_  
Jillian put her arm around Dorissa's shoulders and gave her a sympathetic squeeze.

As the portal was finally in place and the awaited, magic light enveloped the elves and the singular human, one lonely tear escaped Dorissa's eye as Zaladin Grimtusk's face faded away before her eyes.


	12. Heterodox

**Heterodox**

Raised voices outside Dorissa's chamber tore her out of her dreams of snow-covered mountains and incandescent desire. She sat up in her bed and tried to hold back the tears that were pressing against her eyelids.

Months had passed since she had returned from Northrend, a few scars richer and with a much heavier heart. She had been unsuccessful thus far in repressing the memories of the night she and Zaladin Grimtusk had spent entwined under the starlight. What she managed to block out during the day came back to her at night in her dreams, resulting in her waking up covered in sweat with a racing heart. The real world had become grey since her return.

She tried to ignore the dream she had had. Failing, she instead tried focusing on the voices outside her door.

"This is outrageous! You have absolutely no proof that your accusations hold even the slightest bit of truth!"

Dorissa sighed. Of course the only person in the world able to bring her mood further down would be Oldarion.

Another voice she did not recognise answered in a far more calm tone than Oldarion's outburst: "I assure you, Lightseed, we do not accuse anyone of anything. And neither are we known to make mistakes. Besides, we have our information from a rather trustworthy source. Perhaps you recall a certain Lord Zaladin Grimtusk whose acquaintance I believe you have made. There is no mistake. Nightsky is the one we are looking for."

Dorissa opened her eyes, and her brows furrowed. Zaladin was alive, of course. (Or at least as alive as he could ever be, thanks to her.) But he had not contacted her once since they had shared that last deep kiss and parted ways in Icecrown. So who were the people outside her door, and why had he sent them?

"I am most confident that, regardless of what the death knight has told you, Dorissa Nightsky is loyal to our ways and to the Goddess. You will take back your words once you speak with her," Oldarion finally said, his voice thick with contempt at the mentioning of Zaladin.

Dorissa heard a couple of knocks on the door. She cleared her throat. "Yes?"

The door opened. Oldarion marched in, and six figures dressed in dark blue cloaks followed him gracefully.

"Dorissa, these people accuse you of actions that are against everything we-"

"Shut up, Oldarion. You're giving me a headache." She felt a tiny jolt of satisfaction when his jaw dropped. He looked as if she had slapped him across the face. She turned her head towards the strangers.

"Now, who are you and what is your purpose here?"

The tallest of them stepped forward. He let his hood drop. "I apologise for waking you, Dorissa the Enslaver." Dorissa's eyes widened. She had a feeling where this was going. "We did not mean to intrude, but Lightseed here was rather eager to prove our information wrong."

He was an elf, and Dorissa assumed that the others were, too. He was pale, and his raven hair and eyes that were much darker than any she had seen before stood in sharp contrast to his skin. He had a very welcoming face, and Dorissa instantly liked him. But what drew her attention was the mark he bore. He had no beard, not did he have tattoos printed on his skin. He instead had a small dark crescent on his forehead. It seemed to stand out from the skin as if made by some sort of scarification. The mark somehow seemed familiar to Dorissa's eyes, but she could not place where she had seen it before. Upon studying the faces under the other five dark sapphire hoods, she saw that the others all had similar marks carved in their skin.

"It's alright. I usually get up around this time anyway," Dorissa said.

"In that case, we greet you, Starry One. We have come to invite you to join The Sapphire Darkling."

"The Sapphire Darkling?"

"It is unsurprising you have no knowledge of us. You could call us a guild, although that word does not exactly cover our purpose. But we are like you. We, too, have lost faith. And when we did, our powers deserted us. But we found ways to bend the forces of nature. We do not live in union with the forest, and nor with the beasts of this world. We are not one with nature. We have made nature our servant," the elf finished. His tone was pleasant, though there was a hint of grim satisfaction in it.

"Our source has informed us that you are more than qualified to become one of us," a small female chirped cheerfully.

"Which is, of course, pure nonsense." Oldarion concluded stiffly. He moved from his position next to the door and placed himself next to the raven-haired elf, though his body language clearly said he was less than pleased with the situation.

"What makes you think you are able capable of judging me, Oldarion?" Dorissa asked coolly.

He snorted. "I know you, Dorissa. I have been your friend for centuries, and I know you are true to our ways. How can you question my words?"

"Because you are blind, Oldarion. You have never seen who I am."

"You are nothing like them!" he said with a frustrated gesture towards the cloaked elves. "You are a high-ranking, loyal servant of nature! They are... they are..."

"Right, Oldarion. That is what they are. They are right." Dorissa regarded the elf. He and she looked so alike with their silvery hair and soft faces (which had, for Dorissa's part, turned sharper and darker over the months that had passed). They had shared so many experiences, and yet they were so different. She did not recall a single time he had approved of anything she had done.

She sighed and turned her head towards the raven-haired elf again. "I will need to talk this over with my superiors and, of course, with you before I make my decision."

"Naturally. Oh, pardon my manners, I have not yet introduced myself. I am Nathaldor the Charm Bearer. Feel free to contact me if you need to. My kindred and I will be staying at the inn here in Darnassus awaiting word from you," he finished, smiling.

"That sounds good, Charm Bearer. Now, if you will have me excused, I also need to be alone with my thoughts for a while," she said, returning his smile.

"Please, call me Nathaldor. We will of course give you your privacy now," Nathaldor said. He bowed his head in her direction, and the others followed his example. Dorissa returned the gesture, and Nathaldor motioned for the others to follow him out the door.

Oldarion did not follow. Dorissa gestured towards the door that was closing behind the last member of the Sapphire Darkling. He remained motionless.

"You of all. A traitor," he whispered.

"I have not betrayed my people. My beliefs and methods are simply different from others'."

"I thought the time away from that manipulative abomination who calls himself Grimtusk might have brought you back on the right path. Now I realise he has corrupted your mind more than I could ever have imagined."

"That is not the case. Had you actually been a friend to me I might have told you of my situation years ago. But you have never been my friend. You have to face facts sooner or later, Oldarion. We have never been together, and we never will be."

"I loved you," he whispered. His voice was completely emotionless.

"You have done many things, but loving me was never one of them. You never wanted me for more than my position in this society and my physical attributes." Dorissa did her best to not raise her voice too much, but she knew her patience was wearing out.

"Those are lies spoken in anger! I have always wanted you!"

"There, you said it! You want to possess me, nothing more. You are just too selfish, stuck up and obnoxious to realise the truth in my words!" Dorissa had lost her temper now and had jumped out of the bed. She was now standing in front of him, teeth ground together and fists clenching.

"There is no truth in the words of a treacherous whore," he hissed. He raised his hand to strike her. He had not expected the improvement in Dorissa's reflexes.

Having returned to Darnassus and found herself in miserable longing, Dorissa had spent most of her time trying to distract herself from thinking of the journey through Northrend. She had therefore practiced on improving her speed and agility every day like Zaladin had wanted. Her efforts had paid off.

With serpent-like speed she caught Oldarion's wrist and used it to spin his arm around, making him lose his balance. He hit the wooden floor with a loud crash and a pained moan.

"Leave. Now," she snarled.

He sent her a red-faced, furious glare, then got up and stomped out the door. He slammed it so hard behind him the mirror on the wall next to it fell down and cracked.

Dorissa picked it up and put it back on the nail it had fallen off. She stared at her reflection.

It was still the same face, and the same luminous eyes stared back at her. But the time desperately awaiting news that never arrived had drained the inner light from them. She sighed. Perhaps it would come back to her someday, that appetite on life she seemed to have left somewhere in a snow-covered mountain valley in Icecrown.

She changed into a wide-sleeved white shirt and a pair of high-waisted black leather trousers, put on her boots and headed out to find Callan.

When she arrived at his quarters she was not surprised to find Oldarion there. When opening Callan's door after knocking, Oldarion rushed past her, his eyes still burning with hatred when he scowled at her from the corner of his eye.

Dorissa ignored him, stepped inside and closed the door behind her. The entrance was very simple with no decoration whatsoever like it had always been. The difference, though, was that she could feel the greyness of the atmosphere like thick fog in the air. It felt as if the room was actually connected to her weakened heart. She sighed again and walked through the doorway on the left and into the living room.

* * *

Callan was sitting in one of the simple armchairs around the table by the cut-out window in the far end of the room. Dorissa assumed Oldarion must have woken him, because he looked as if it would have done him good to sleep for an hour or two more. Or maybe it was simply the news Oldarion had woken him to tell that made him look so weary.

Dorissa crossed the room as confidently as she could and sat down in the chair closest to him. She rested her arms on the table and waited.

"This is unexpected," he said flatly. His eyes were fixed on the opposing wall.

"I am sorry, Callan. I should have told you myself years ago."

"You must understand that this news puts me and, not to forget, you, in a distinctly boring situation."

"I know. But this is not something I can change. I'm not like you, Callan," she whispered.

He finally looked at her. "I have known for a long time there was something about you that was extraordinary. Though, I had never thought I would think it wrong once I knew what it was... That the source of your power could in any way be twisted..."  
Dorissa did not answer.

"How long has it been since it happened?"

"Do you recall a time around four centuries ago when I stopped training with you and told you I was going to explore the Eastern Kingdoms?"

"Yes."

"That was not entirely the truth."

"Then what is?"

"I had lost faith in everything we stand for a few years before, and my powers had slowly, but surely, been taken away from me. I did go to the Eastern Kingdoms, but my purpose was to find a way to re-obtain what I had lost. During this time I also befriended Jillian who helped me the best she could. She lent me her books and taught me everything she knew of black magic."

"I see." The same lifelessness in Dorissa's eyes was beginning to show in his.

"Callan, I... I understand if I am no longer welcome here."

"No one will banish you, Dorissa. Especially not I. But the news of what you are will get out. It probably has by the time you leave this room. You know our people will be less than happy when they find out. You were a rising star in our society in the eyes of many. Just as many will now avoid you, and some may even shun you. My biggest problem is not that I find your choice wrong, but that I need you. We all do. You are one of the most powerful druids we have trained in a long, long time. Whatever happens from here on, I need to know for certain that your loyalty still lies with me. You must swear to me now that no matter how people will treat you after this, we can still count on you whenever we need you."

"Of course, Callan. I will serve the people. Just like I always have."

"Thank you." He rubbed his temples with his index and middle fingers and sighed. "Then I suppose it is entirely up to you to decide where you go now."

"What do you mean?"

"Of course you could stay here and try to ignore or even live with the dislike that will radiate towards you from the entire city. Personally though, if I were in your situation I think I would look for others like me."

"But... did Oldarion not tell you of The Sapphire Darkling?"

"He did."

"... I think you're going to have to tell me where you're going with this."

He put his hand on her lower arm and smiled, though the lifelessness in his eyes had been replaced by sadness. "I want you to go with them. I want you to become a member of The Sapphire Darkling and leave with them to wherever they have made their home."

"But you said you needed me?"

"Yes, but I never said where. Go, Dorissa. You belong where people accept you for what you are. But remember to contact me as often as possible and update me on how everything works out. And you must always be ready to come when I ask for your assistance. I will deal with the arch druid and the high priestess once the time for that comes."

"Thank you, Callan," she said softly.

"There is no need to thank me. I only do this to ensure that we can still count on your cooperation, not at all because I care about you like a little sister and want the best for you," he said and winked at her. A little of the sadness had left his eyes. The first honest smile in months appeared on Dorissa's lips.

* * *

"This... is awesome. You will be _so _attractive with that crescent on your forehead."

"Focus, Jillian."

"I am focusing. I'm just stating a fact."

"There is another fact you should state, though. I'm becoming an outcast now. That has to be weighed under pros and cons."

"You'll do fine as long as you follow Callan's advice and leave with the Darkling members. And I'll come visit you as often as I can. From what you've said there should be some dark-haired, good-looking males in that organization I can fraternise with. Since they don't exactly follow the night elf codex my guess is they might just look at a human warlock from a different perspective."

As much as Jillian's cheerful talk of flirting annoyed Dorissa she could not repress a small smile. The human was the only person she knew who never failed to cheer her up, even in the darkest times.

After her talk with Callan, Dorissa had contacted her, using the enchanted quill and scroll Jillian had given her before her departure to Northrend. She had asked her to come express her opinion on the subject, and Jillian had promised to come as quickly as she was able. Using her many warlock contacts, Jillian had managed to acquire a summoning and had, surprisingly to her night elf friend, arrived that same evening. The two of them were now strolling casually around in Craftsmen's Terrace under the fading pink light of the Teldrassil sky.

"It's strange how one person can change the life of another in so many ways," Dorissa murmured.

"You still haven't moved on, have you?"

"No. I love him, Jill."

"What's holding you back, then?"

"What do you mean?"

"Go look for him. You're planning your leave anyway."

"He said he would come back to me. He swore it."

"Riss... He may not be the average man to be heartsick over. But he is, nevertheless, a man. They will promise to put the moon in your hand because they know it's what you want to hear. And then they forget that they actually did want to give it to you."

"I don't think he's like that."

"But you don't know for sure."

Dorissa looked away. She did not want to open her heart to the possibility that her human friend might be right.

"I need to go see The Sapphire Darkling," she said.

"Yes, I know. But I also know that right now you're using them as an excuse to get away from me and forget my words," Jillian said softly.

"I'm sorry, Jillian. Sometimes I forget that there hides an intelligent and well-analysing mind behind your hysterically cheerful personality."

"I know that, too. After all, I'm the one who got you into this mess to start with, remember?"

"What do you mean?"

"If you hadn't met me you would have lost your powers for good, you would never have met Grimtusk, and The Sapphire Darkling would never have had a reason to come looking for you, thus revealing your state to the entire city."

"Wrong. Had I not met you my powers may have returned to me themselves."

"Are you implying that it's my fault you lost your faith?" Jillian asked, slightly offended.

"In a way, yes. I was desperate before I met you. There was a real chance I might have succumbed to my old beliefs, and I may have been able to return to my old life that way. But when I found you, you showed me the life outside the walls my people have built around themselves to preserve the old ways. You made me see what I had been lacking for all those years: spirit and true happiness. I am grateful for it, Jillian. I have never wished that I could go back to living in blessed ignorance. And, heck, I couldn't have kept my so-called betrayal a secret forever. I'm glad it was revealed this way. I don't have to bear the burden alone now that The Sapphire Darkling has found me. I can thank Zaladin for that."

"The troll sent them?" Jillian sounded surprised.

"Yes. I told him of my situation... back then."

"It might just be as you wish then. That your feelings for him are not unreturned," Jillian said quietly.

"I... I'm going to go to the inn now." Dorissa said a little too quickly and turned to leave.

"Riss..." Jillian caught her arm and stopped her. "Whatever happens in the future... you will manage. Even if time was wasted when it comes to the death knight, you will pull through. But you'll need to leave this place behind to make it happen. You've never really belonged here, Riss. You belong with them."

Dorissa nodded, unable to speak. She knew that if she opened her mouth she would only be able to tell Jillian how deeply she wished she could change the 'them' in her sentence to 'him'.

She quickly hugged her friend goodbye and headed for the inn.


	13. Daybreak

**Daybreak**

There was not a soul in sight when Dorissa entered the inn. The sun had set and left the sky a deep magenta, though the unnatural pink was still there underneath it.

The only light in the room came from a lit candle on the front desk. Dorissa noticed a small, folded piece of parchment next to it. She stepped closer, picked it up and studied it. It was not addressed to anyone, but a symbol was printed on the side facing upwards: a small, dark crescent framed by a delicate, circular chain-like pattern. Dorissa smiled, remembering how Nathaldor had referred to her as 'the Enslaver'. She unfolded the note. Only two words were written inside:

_Room Seven_

She put the note in her pocket and turned left down the hallway.

A small table stood at the very end with another candle on it that lit up the numbers on the doors. There were only rooms on the right side of the hallway, and room seven was the last one. Dorissa knocked thrice on the wooden door and waited. Her sharp ears detected no movement behind the door, but a few seconds later it was opened wide.

Nathaldor flashed a big smile. "It is wonderful to see you so soon, Enslaving One," he said. He was no longer wearing the sapphire cloak. His clothes were elegant and dark: a pair of simple black trousers and a very dark purple shirt that was slightly similar to Dorissa's with its wide sleeves.

"Please, do call me Dorissa or any other variant of my name you prefer," Dorissa said and entered the room as he gestured for her to do so.

"As you wish, Dorissa."

Only three other members of The Sapphire Darkling were present. Dorissa assumed the others were resting in one of the other rooms, and that the ones in room seven were there to make sure they did not miss her once she arrived.

There were two females and one male. Like Nathaldor they had all taken off their cloaks, and they, too, were dressed in dark, elegant clothes.

"I am here to learn more of The Sapphire Darkling, and also to pretend I have not already decided to become a member myself," Dorissa said to them all.

"Excellent! Then we will of course answer any questions you may have while pretending to not be pleased with the decision you are pretending not to have made yet," Nathaldor said, smiling ever so cheerfully. It was hard to not be smitten with his uplifting mood, and Dorissa giggled at the silliness of the sentence he had spoken. "Please do take a seat wherever you would like to," he added.  
Dorissa chose to sit on the bed next to a short female with a pale aquamarine hairdo who had just put away a scroll she had been inscribing to pay attention to what was going on around her. She, too, had a happy smile on her face when she looked at Dorissa, who could not help but return her smile.

"At first I would like to hear the story of The Sapphire Darkling. Who founded it, where do you call your home, what does life there involve, you know, the foundation of not screwing things up once I come with you."

"There is no time to waste then. I will tell you everything I can. Please do correct me if I get something wrong," Nathaldor said, adding the last bit to the others.

"Not that that's likely to happen," said the other woman, who had dark, pink hair, to the man with midnight-blue hair and a delicately braided beard next to her. He laughed in agreement.

Nathaldor smiled again and then began.

"Not long after the end of The Third War and the rise of this city, a night elf named Saphiren Darkwing was untraditionally born in a small, hidden hut in the woods of Ashenvale. She grew up isolated from the rest of our kind, but despite this her bond with nature was as strong as her belief in the Goddess.

Her parents died shortly after she had come of age, and Saphiren decided to travel here to Darnassus to seek a way to aid her people. She became the apprentice of one of the priestesses at the Temple of the Moon, where she studied the holy ways, never asking to learn anything of the path of shadow.

When her teacher thought her ready, she assigned Saphiren to temporarily work for a priest in Stormwind City to allow her to explore the world outside the elven borders.

Upon arriving in the city, Saphiren quickly realised the world she had come from was nothing like the human capital. Her life up until then had been the essence of peaceful. In Stormwind, however, her days changed. The streets were filthy, and beggars tugged at her robes in the alleys when she was walking home at night. While at the inn where she usually had her dinner, the people she saw were drunk, and the men desperately tried to seduce her. During the day, however, people she passed on her way to the chapel were happily chatting about everything and nothing, and children were running around playing in the streets.

Saphiren now saw that her people had isolated and shielded themselves in the forests where they had always lived, and that their life consisted solely of keeping the outside world out of their life. Realising that she found her entire life wasted was a hard blow for her. She did not only lose commitment to the ways of her people, she also lost faith in her Goddess. She could no longer see how Elune who, to her, was such a peaceful goddess, could exist in a world so full of chaos and misery. But, worst of all, she lost the powers she had trained so hard to achieve.

Alone, miserable and powerless she felt like the beggars she saw in the streets of Stormwind: useless and insignificant. She left the service of the priest she had been working for and retreated to her room at the inn she was staying at. There she stayed without going outside for weeks.

One day, Saphiren was having her dinner when a man she thought she recognised entered the inn. She remembered seeing him in the city's library while she was studying the holy ways.

She was longing for company and ended up joining him at his table and asked him who he was.

He told her his name was Dorian Blake and that he was one of the highest ranking warlocks in Stormwind City.

Desperate, Saphiren told him of the loss of her powers and asked for his help. He secretly accepted her as his apprentice and taught her the art of enslaving beings to serve her. With his help, Saphiren finally managed to obtain powers again, yet not the holy forces she had been loyal to before: She enslaved the darkness and became one of the most powerful shadow priestesses in history.  
But re-obtaining her magic came with a price: She was now an outcast among her own. When she returned to Darnassus she was shunned for her actions.

She had not only betrayed the Goddess, she had dabbled with black magic and enslaved her powers, making them her servant and not the other way around.

Alone again, she returned to the hut in Ashenvale where she was born. But less than a year later, two elves came to seek her help, for they, too, had lost faith. She taught them everything she knew, and before long they had found ways to re-claim what had been taken from them. They never left her side.

Saphiren marked them and herself with the black moon, and thus, the Sapphire Darkling was formed: 'Sapphire' taken from the name of its founder and leader, Saphiren, and 'Darkling' being what we are: in the dark where our people will not venture. But in the dark is where life can truly be obtained," Nathaldor finished.

Dorissa nodded. "Was Saphiren the first elf this happened to?" she asked.

"Most likely not. As you may have noticed, her story is quite similar to your own, and in ways to all of our tales. But as far as we have been able to determine she was the first to ever take her fate into her own hands."

"I take it the symbol on your foreheads has something to do with the dark, then?" Dorissa asked.

"It's the dark side of the moon. The one our people do not see," the pink-haired female explained. "I'm Eridess, by the way," she added.

"I see. And, forgive me for asking, but why are you all so pale?"

"We don't mind. The pallor comes with the removal of the old marks from one's face. Once the marks are gone, there will be paler marks where they used to be if we don't perform the spell on the entire body. Of course, we ask for agreement before we turn our members pale as the dead," Eridess said, grinning.

Dorissa giggled. She then looked at Nathaldor and the midnight-haired male in the corner. "You never had marks, since only females are sentinels. Why have you gone pale, too?"

"No one is forced, but we often undergo the procedure to support the decision the females make when joining. Plus, of course, this look works well for intimidation," Nathaldor explained with a wide grin.

Dorissa smirked. "Where do you make your residence?" she then asked.

"Our generation, like all the previous members of the Sapphire Darkling, lives where Saphiren Darkwing settled down with the ones she called her kindred. Our village lies in Ashenvale where she was born," Nathaldor said.

"I thought I'd explored all of Ashenvale years ago," Dorissa said.

"Our home is well-hidden," two synchronized voices said from the door. Dorissa turned her head and saw two females with short, white hair enter the room and close the door behind them. Their faces were identical. Dorissa assumed they were twins.

"Ah, welcome Ameltha and Elathem. They are the only members of the Darkling who are actual relatives," Nathaldor explained.  
"Hello," Dorissa said, smiling at the two. They bowed their heads and returned her smile.

"You called yourself the Charm Bearer," Dorissa said to Nathaldor.

"I did," he said, smiling.

"What lies behind that title?"

"I have been an enchanter for many years. Back when I lost my faith I sought a way to re-obtain my powers, just like everyone else in this room. After years of research and experimentation, this is what I came up with." Nathaldor took off a silver chain he was wearing around his neck and showed it to Dorissa. The pendant that hung from it was a black crystal with elegant silver filigree around it. Something inside the stone caught Dorissa's attention.

"There appears to be an eye inside your crystal."

"Correct," Nathaldor said, smiling brightly. "I have enchanted the stone itself so that it is able to contain magic. I do have to recharge it in our moonwell once in a while, but it has worked out just fine for as long as I have had it. And as a druid, I figured I needed a natural essence inside it, so as to trick the energy I store in the crystal into believing it is used naturally and not forced. I tried with a lot of different organs, but the raven's eye is what seemed to work best for me."

"Wait… you have a moonwell?"

"Yes. It is no shrine of Elune to us, though. We simply harness its magic for our benefit."

"Right. So, returning to my first question, basically one's title shows the way one has tricked nature?"

"Yes. Not everyone has a title, though. My title is the Charm Bearer because I am the only existing member of the Sapphire Darkling to use this method. Others may have existed before me, but in that case they passed away long before I joined."

"You called me the Enslaver?"

"You are the first whose methods are influenced by black magic since Saphiren Darkwing's time. You are one of a kind, even among the ones that are of a kind," Ameltha and Elathem said, their voices synchronized as their smiles.

"Don't you just love listening to those two?" the female with the aquamarine hair said sarcastically. "Oh, and my name is Luridel. And the quiet one over there, that's Ildoren. He's not that talkative, but he's nice, really," she added, pointing to the man with the midnight hair.

"We're all so pleased you're considering joining us, Dorissa," Ildoren said warmly.

"To be honest with you all, I stopped considering it hours ago. I've made my decision. I want to become a member of the Sapphire Darkling," Dorissa announced happily.

"Splendid! All we need to do to complete your admission is to place the black moon on your forehead," Nathaldor said.

"When is it possible for you to do it?"

"Well, I suppose whenever you are ready."

"Now seems like the right time for me."

"In that case, let's get it over with," Luridel chirped. "We should warn you, though. It's not painless. The spell we use first draws the existing ink out from under your skin and drains a decent amount of colour from the skin on your body. And afterwards, the mark is carved and scratched in your skin, then filled with a special black powder we have created that prevents normal healing, and, finally, the wound is force-healed."

"Just like him," Dorissa whispered.

"What's that?"

Dorissa cleared her throat. "Am I right if I assume that what happens once the black powder is applied is that the skin where the mark is cut simply dies?"

"Basically, yes. But where have you acquired this information?" Eridess asked.

"I have healed Zaladin Grimtusk."

"Oh yes, I forgot you travelled with him. But... he was hurt? How did that happen?" Eridess looked surprised, and so did the others. Dorissa could not hold back a smile. The troll had quite the reputation.

Her cheeks flushed slightly as she explained: "It was my fault, really. I... I guess I sort of kind of might have flung myself in front of an arrow meant for him. He got distracted when I was hurt, and it must have been enough time for his attackers to actually hit him."

The members of the Sapphire Darkling burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?" Dorissa was confused. It could not possibly be that entertaining.

"He never explained why he said one of the names we might find you under was 'Looney Rissa'. It makes perfect sense now: You're bonkers!" Luridel explained, still laughing.

"He remembered that?" Dorissa's eyes widened.

"Of course. I don't think he's capable of forgetting, really. Well, if you don't count in the fact that he doesn't remember anything from before he died," Eridess said.

"Uh... I think I'd like to have the scarification done now," Dorissa said quickly. She did not wish to rip open old wounds again.

"Right, right, of course," Nathaldor giggled. "Luridel, remove her marks, if you please. I will get you some linen for the ink."

"Good, thank you," Luridel said. She scooted closer to Dorissa, placed her fingertips on the other elf's temples and rested her hands on her cheeks. "Do you mind if I drain some of your skin's natural pigment along with the removal of the marks?" she asked.

"No, go ahead and do so."

"Then close your eyes and sit still," she told her, and Dorissa obeyed.

She immediately felt a strange prickling under the skin where her serpent's pupil-like marks were printed. The prickling feeling turned to heat, and it now spread across her face and up to the points of her ears. The warm feeling travelled down her neck and the rest of her body. After a while it cooled more and more. When it had reached a temperature far lower than Dorissa's body's, the now cold feeling travelled back up her body and seemed to leave through the skin where her marks had been. Dorissa knew they were no longer there. She was delighted to discover that she did not feel the slightest bit empty without them.

"There we go, that was the fun bit. Now it's time for the messy part. Not that this was clean, but you know what I mean," Luridel said, while wiping the dripping, dark ink off Dorissa's face.

"Ameltha and Elathem will now carve the symbol and apply the powder," she heard Nathaldor explain. "Afterwards, Ildoren will heal the cut."

"Bring it," Dorissa said with a crooked smile. Her eyes were still closed. She felt no need to study whatever instrument she heard one of the twins pick up.

She felt a cool hand on her right cheek. "Sit completely still," the twins said quietly.

Then the blade punctured her skin. Dorissa's brows furrowed slightly, but apart from that she did not move. It was painful, but not unbearably so.

The hand holding the knife once in a while shifted from carving to scraping and scratching. Dorissa felt blood running down her face and dripping from her chin.

Finally, the blade disappeared. In its place, however, a new sort of pain stepped in. Dorissa gasped. She assumed it was the black powder of which they had spoken. She had never felt anything like it. It was extremely cold, and it felt like her head was under attack by daggers of the hardest ice.

Luckily, it was over as sudden as it had started, for a few seconds later she felt a new set of hands on her face. A single finger traced along the wound on her forehead, and she felt the skin heating and struggling to resist the magic Ildoren's touch was pouring into the wound.

Eventually the cut closed, and her skin returned to its normal temperature.

"I think it's time you opened your eyes," Luridel said optimistically.

Dorissa did as she said. Ameltha and Elathem were holding a mirror up in front of her. She stared in wonder.

This was right. She had to admit that it was very strange to see herself like that, ghostly white and still covered in blood that had come from the freshly healed black crescent on her forehead. But something told her that this was the way things had been meant to be from the beginning. Her appearance would take a little while to get used to, but nothing about it scared her.

"So, what do you think?" Eridess asked.

"I think everything is exactly the way it should be," Dorissa said. She traced the fresh scar with her fingertip and smiled.

"Wonderful!" Luridel applauded.

"When are we going to leave Darnassus?" Dorissa then asked.

"Whenever you are ready, Enslaver," Ildoren said warmly.

"Tomorrow would be good. There is nothing left for me here." Her lips formed a slightly doleful smile.

"As you wish. Meet us by the gryphon master in Rut'theran Village tomorrow afternoon," Eridess said cheerfully.

"I have one last question," Dorissa said, and looked at her new kindred. "How can it be that you… _we_ seem so much happier than normal elves?"

Nathaldor smiled. "Because, unlike them, we are free."

* * *

When Dorissa left the inn the sky was ominously dark. Her nocturnal vision allowed her to find her way easily, but the city still somehow seemed darker than she was used to. _Perhaps I simply see it in a different light now that I know I am meant to be elsewhere, _she pondered.

Lost in her thoughts she rounded the corner of an empty shop – and someone grabbed her arm. A hand covered her mouth, and the man slammed her back against a sturdy tree trunk. The hand holding her arm switched to a tight grip around both her wrists, pinning them together on the other side of the tree. Dorissa's hair covered her eyes, and she could not be sure who he was.

He leaned closer and hissed: "Such intelligence. Such beauty wasted on a traitor, a mere wench with nothing in her heart but twisted truths and provocative lust for sworn enemies." Dorissa recognised his voice.

Oldarion slowly removed the hand that covered her mouth, but his hold on her wrists did not loosen. His breath was hot against her neck. It smelt strange.

"I do wonder why you continue pestering me now that you despise me with such intense passion. Have you been drinking?" Dorissa tossed the hair out of her eyes and was finally able to properly see Oldarion's face. His eyes seemed slightly unfocused, but there was no doubt what he was glaring at with such burning hatred: the black moon on her forehead.

"So it is done. After all I have done for you, you chose them. You chose him."

"You have been nothing but a thorn in my side from the very day I met you. Not even Zaladin's threats were enough to do the trick. What will it take to make you leave me alone?"

"It is not that simple." He leaned even closer. "You see, when your body craves something, it is your duty to present it with the object of its desire." There was a hint of actual madness in his voice now. He pressed his body against Dorissa's. He was so close she could feel his erection.

"Get away from me," she said.

He ignored her words. "For years I have tried. And for as long you have consistently turned me down, despite every act of devotion from my side. I was always there for you, Dorissa. And today, you have made a fool of me for believing in you. By betraying this city you have become inferior to me. And now it is time for me to finally take what I have desired for so long," he said, his hot breath damp against Dorissa's face. And then his mouth was on hers.  
_  
He's not here to save me. No one is. I'm alone. But not defenseless. Not this time.  
_  
Dorissa responded to Oldarion's greedy kiss by biting down on his lower lip. Her teeth sank through the skin, and she tasted his blood in her mouth.

Oldarion sneered. He grabbed her neck with his free hand and squeezed until she had to let go of his lip to gasp for air. He finally let go of her wrists and began tearing at the cord on the front of her trousers.

"You incompetent man," Dorissa choked out.

She focused her mana, making her skin sprout sharp thorns, and with her newly freed hands she clawed at his face. He snarled and pulled away from her, letting go of her neck. She was now perfectly capable of landing him a precise blow in the gut with her knee.  
Taking advantage of the few seconds he was pacified she spat: "Pray that you never cross my path again, Oldarion Lightseed, for I swear to you now that if you do, the light of my falling stars will be the last you know in this world." And then she ran.

* * *

"Goodness, Riss! Don't ever scare me like that again. You look like you've risen from the grave! And while I'm at it, who the hell's blood is that?"

"Let me in, Jill. Now."

"Alright, alright, come in."

Dorissa entered the room in the upper stories of the Sentinel's Bunkhouse where her human friend was staying. She passed Jillian without looking at her.

Exhausted from having run across town to get away from Oldarion, she slumped down on Jillian's bed and closed her eyes.

"Tell me whose blood that is."

Dorissa did not answer.

"Riss, tell me now, or I'm sending for Callan."

"Leave Callan out of this," Dorissa finally said. "The blood is Oldarion's."

"Excellent. Why, if I may ask, is Oldarion's blood dripping from your lips? Have you taken up a new hobby you've failed to tell me about?"

"Of course not. He kissed me against my will. So I bit him."

"What happened to, oh, I don't know, pushing people away before violating them?"

"He had me pinned against a tree, and he held my wrists on the other side of its trunk. He was going to rape me."

"What? Oldarion?" Jillian sat down next to her and stared at her intensely.

"He's lost his mind. He sounded like that blood elf I told you of. He rambled about him being superior to me now, and that he was in his right to do with me whatever he wanted."

"Because you bear the mark of the Sapphire Darkling?"

"Because of everything, I guess. It's the second time within hours I've had to use force to prevent him from hurting me. I had never known he was so unstable. He was drunk, too."

"Oldarion? Drunk? The world must be falling down at last."

"As I said. He's gone mad."

"What are you going to do now?"

"I'm leaving with my kindred tomorrow afternoon. I'll avoid him until then. And something tells me he won't be going outside a lot tomorrow, either. I'm pretty sure I scratched his face quite badly," Dorissa said and showed Jillian her bloody hands.

"If he doesn't get to a healer within a day's time he's going to get scars from that."

"I don't care. Perhaps his wounds will finally make him realise that it's for the best if he stays as far away from me as possible."

"You know how tempted I am right now, right?"

"What could you possibly be talking about?"

"I'm seriously considering going out to look for him... I'd love to see your handiwork with my own eyes," Jillian said with a grim smile.

"I'd advise you not to do that. He might just take his rage out on you."

"Relax, I won't go. I'll check it out tomorrow when he's hung-over and useless."

"Do me a favour and write to me once you've seen it. I would actually like to know what the result is," Dorissa said. "After all, his blood nearly ruined my favourite shirt," she added jokingly.

"Someone's awfully cheerful considering she almost got molested," Jillian said, cocking an eyebrow.

"Says the one who acts as if the world is her playground. But you're right, somewhat. I guess I just feel... I don't know... liberated. I finally no longer have to worry about my secret being revealed, and I might just be rid of Oldarion for good now."

"I'm so happy for you," Jillian chirped and hugged her night elf friend.

"Jill... would it be terribly inconvenient for you if I were to stay with you tonight?" Dorissa asked after the human had let go.

"Well, you have to, actually. I'm not letting you go. He might still be out there."

Dorissa smiled. "Indeed. Thank you, Jill."

"Don't mention it. Besides, I'm collecting my reward tomorrow, being the sight of the marks you've left on him," Jillian said, grinning.


	14. Serenity

**Serenity**

Jillian accompanied Dorissa to Rut'theran Village the next afternoon. Nathaldor, Ameltha, Elathem, Eridess, Ildoren and Luridel were already waiting by the gryphon master as they had agreed upon the night before.

"Ah, welcome, Enslaver. It really is wonderful that you are one of us now," Nathaldor said in a delighted tone.

"Thank you, Nathaldor. I made the right choice." Dorissa smiled at him. She glanced at Jillian and noticed her friend eyeing up the raven-haired male with interest. Dorissa repressed a smirk. "This is Jillian Lee Jones, my closest friend. My hope is that she will be allowed to visit me once I have settled down in my new home."

"But of course. She is very welcome to do so." Nathaldor sent Jillian an intriguing smile, making the petite human blush slightly.

Dorissa hid her crooked smile. It seemed likely that Jillian would have more than one reason to visit her in the future.

"Are those all your things?" Eridess asked, gesturing towards the heavy sack Dorissa carried over her shoulder.

"Yes. I am ready to leave now."

"What's the rush?" Jillian asked absently. Dorissa noticed that her human friend's interest seemed returned: Nathaldor's eyes had not left the black-haired woman since he had permitted her to visit Dorissa.

"We are in no hurry. Actually, why do you not accompany us this time? That way you will know where to find Dorissa in the future," Nathaldor suggested. "That is, if it is alright with you?" he added, finally looking at Dorissa.

Dorissa did not need to look at Jillian to know her friend was making gesticulations to affect her answer. "Of course it is," she said with a knowing smile.

"Splendid! Jillian, you are more than welcome to come with us this time," the raven-haired elf said. His eyes turned slightly flirtatious when he looked at the human.

"Thank you very much, Nathaldor." Jillian's tongue caressed the elf's name as she sent him another obviously interested smile.

Eridess caught Dorissa's eye. _Goodness,_ the pink-haired female lip-synched. Dorissa nodded in agreement, and they both snickered.  
Nathaldor cleared his throat, seemingly slightly embarrassed with the situation. "If you do not have any unfinished business here, I suggest we leave now."

"I don't. And I'm really looking forward to seeing my new home, so I approve of your idea," Dorissa said.

Ildoren paid the hippogryph master for transportation, and a few minutes later they were on their way across the Veiled Sea to the forest of Ashenvale.

* * *

"Forgive me for asking, but who of you is who?" Dorissa had been watching Ameltha and Elathem throughout the now ended flight to the settlement of Forest Song in the north-eastern part of Ashenvale, and she had realised that she actually had no idea how to tell the short-haired females apart.

"We cannot say. We have names, yes, but we are one." Their light, feathery voices were robbed of emotion as they once again spoke in perfect synchronization.

"I have never seen elves like you before," Dorissa pondered.

"Our souls are entwined in ways you would not understand. That is how we master our magic. We cannot exist separated, and if one of us dies, so does the other."

"I see." The twins' explanation did not say anything of exactly how it was they had managed to re-obtain their powers, but something in their voices made Dorissa think it was far from the ways she and the others had found. She was not sure she actually wanted to know the details of it.

The white-haired females regarded Dorissa silently for a few minutes while waiting for Ildoren and Eridess who were the last to land their hippogryphs.

"You are not a thoroughbred elf," the twins suddenly stated.

"There have been some theories I might not be, indeed."

"We are not guessing. We know you are not."

"How do you know that?" Dorissa asked, surprised.

"We knew your parents."

"You… what?"

"Your mother was a human mage, and a very talented one. Her name was Selene Endridge. She and your father met each other at a young age and ran away together. Your father descended from a line of powerful priests. After your mother had given birth to you, they both realised their acts had been selfish, and they returned to their people, leaving you with the Cenarion Circle. Your mother was killed by Onyxia when her raid tried and failed to take the brood mother down. Your father shortly after lost his life to the trolls of the Gurubashi Empire. His name was Heldoran Darkwing."

Dorissa blinked. "… Darkwing? You must be kidding?"

"No. It may be very far up in the branches of your family tree, but you are actually related to Saphiren. Another reason we find it so brilliant you have become one of us now. Your relation to her was no guarantee you would end up like her. It is quite astonishing that you have even used the same methods as her."

"… For how long have you known this?"

"We have always kept track of the Darkwing family line. We knew you existed, but we did not know that you were like her, and neither did we know that you were half human until we met your parents. It shines through when looking at you, though. You are too short and too softly built, and your ears lack a lot of length. If you do not see, look at Luridel. She, too, is half-bred."

Dorissa eyes found the small elf waiting near Nathaldor and Jillian while her fingers absently touched the points of her ears. "You're right… I have never really noticed it up until now."

"No one else has, either. But we see things others do not." Their soft, feathery voices suddenly darkened.

"What do you see?"

"The shadows of the past haunting the present," they said cryptically.

Dorissa did not ask what they meant. She had a feeling it was not yet the time for her to know.

"Why did no one mention my kinship with Saphiren yesterday?" she instead asked.

"It does not matter to us. You are slightly unique, yes, but we do not differ between members because of who they are related to. And we did not want you to think you were obligated to become one of us because of your ancestors."

"I suppose that makes sense."

Eridess and Ildoren joined the small group waiting a few meters away from the stabled hippogryphs.

"Let us continue. Our village is not far," Nathaldor said. He gestured for the others to follow him north-east before he resumed the conversation he had been having with Jillian while waiting.

Dorissa stared at him. She turned her head and caught Luridel's eye. "Is this really the way?"

"Of course, why wouldn't it be?" the small female said.

"Luridel, we are headed straight for Bough Shadow. Don't you think the guardians of the portal to the Emerald Dream will be slightly bothered by our intrusion?"

"Oh, don't worry; we're not going near them. We are going to keep in the hills just outside their territory. Our village lies beyond Bough Shadow."

"I suppose there is no point in asking how that is possible?"

"Not really. You'll see once we arrive," Luridel said in a happy tone. It was hard to not be smitten by the optimistic nature of the aquamarine-haired half-elf.

Nathaldor led them to the left and up in the hills. Dorissa could not help but shoot worried glances down, and once in a while she did catch a glimpse of the green-scaled dragonkin guardians, but at least she saw none of the great Dragons of Nightmare that also guarded the Emerald Dream portals of the world.

The small formation of cloaked elves continued leading the way, and soon Bough Shadow lay behind them. Night was falling, and the stars cast their silvery light down on the group as they reached a wall created by large, healthy trees.

"Your new life awaits you on the other side," Nathaldor said happily. "The Sapphire Darkling is proud to welcome you, Dorissa the Enslaver and Jillian Lee Jones, to our home, Moonglen Village." His formal annunciation was agreed upon by the others. "Come," they said and led the way through the trees.

The sight that awaited Dorissa's eyes on the other side made her smile.

Moonglen Village lay nestled in the hills by the mountainside. The light of the shining stars in the night sky caressed the settlement, and the lights of the small huts glimmered in the darkness. It was a small village, and there was, as far as Dorissa could see, no actual system in the placing of the asymmetrical huts, but it was one of the loveliest places she had ever seen. As she took in the sight, something caught her eye.

"Some of these huts are built by tauren," she said, looking at Nathaldor.

"Not only elves lose their faith," Nathaldor said. "We exist alongside the tauren who share our beliefs, or, should I say, lack thereof."

"Tauren…" The information finally clicked in Dorissa's mind, and a few seconds later her theory was confirmed.

"Greetings, little one!" The familiar, soft rumble came from a large, fuzzy figure that was nearing the little group.

"Krohn!" Dorissa said, suddenly filled with joy. She hurried towards the large tauren and wrapped her arms around his waist that was all she could reach.

Krohn the Earthbinder laughed and patted her head. "I did say we would meet again, did I not?"

"That you did. And, luckily, this time I'm sober," Dorissa said, grinning at her friend.

"How did you two meet?" Nathaldor asked in a surprised tone.

"We met at an inn in the Grizzly Hills. Dorissa here challenged every male orc in the area to a drinking contest," Krohn explained with a smile.

"Oh dear, I'm no longer sure it was such a good idea to admit her," Eridess said jokingly. The others agreed, chuckling.

"How did you know back then that I was like you?" Dorissa asked the tauren.

"I am good at sensing such things. The taint in your magic clings to you like an invisible cloud."

"How odd that you're the first one to notice."

"I am not. Your death knight companion was not unaware of it."

Dorissa's brow furrowed. "When did you speak with Zaladin?"

"Right after you staggered up the stairs to your room. He asked me if I was of the Sapphire Darkling. I am quite sure he had figured out by then that you were like us."

"He never gave me any reason to believe that he had discovered my secret," Dorissa said quietly.

"He must have concluded there was no reason to do so," Krohn said in a natural tone.

"Pardon my intrusion, but would you not like to see your home, Dorissa?" Nathaldor asked.

"Of course. Will you take me there?"

"I will." Nathaldor began following the tortuous path through the village. Krohn joined them as they all escorted Dorissa further up in the hills. After a few minutes they stopped by one of the last huts. Dorissa was not surprised to find the delicately chain-wreathed crescent symbol carved in the gable of the hut.

"What do you think?" Luridel asked cheerfully.

"It's perfect." The hut was almost identical to the others in the village, but the location was what made Dorissa think there was no place else she would rather live; when turning around the rest of the village spread beautifully beneath them, and above them the velvet night sky stretched far and wide in all its glory, making Dorissa feel one with her new home.

"All that is left for us to do is give you this," Nathaldor said. He turned to Ameltha and Elathem: In their hands, another dark sapphire cloak had appeared.

They draped it over Dorissa's shoulders. "Welcome home, Enslaver," they said, smiling.

"Before you enter your hut I, too, have something for you. It arrived this morning," Krohn said and handed Dorissa a small letter wrapped in brown paper. "It appears someone knew long before we did that you would choose to join us." A knowing smile played on his lips, making Dorissa think he had a good guess as to who that someone might be.

She removed the paper and stared at the line on the parchment inside.

_Tonight, the rain of rebirth wreathes the evening star_

"What is it?" Luridel carefully asked.

"… A riddle." Dorissa's heart had skipped a beat. She suddenly felt dizzy and had to support her weight against one of the posts of her new home's wooden front porch.

"Riss, are you alright?" Luridel asked worriedly.

"Yes, I... I'm fine," Dorissa said, vaguely noticing that Jillian's pet name for her had already been picked up by her new kindred. "I... I need some time to get used to my new surroundings. I'm going to go inside now."

"Of course. We will leave you now, then. I am sure you will find everything inside exactly the way it should be," Nathaldor said cryptically. He smiled crookedly and then gestured for Jillian (whose seams were bursting from curiosity) to join him as the others turned around to return to their own huts.

Dorissa nodded, slightly distracted. She looked up at her hut. As she heard the others' footsteps disappear, she slowly ascended the steps up to the porch. She stood in front of the door for a few seconds, then took a deep breath and opened it.

It was dark inside. Dorissa listened. There was no sound to be heard. She stepped inside and closed the door behind her.

The room she had entered seemed to be a combined living and dining room. The only breaches in the traditional night elf building style were the fireplace in the left side of the room and the many closable doors in the hut, neither of which night elf houses usually had. She noticed some chairs and a table, but she did not pause for long to study them. She crossed the room and opened the next door.

After entering what had turned out to be the bedroom, she closed the door behind her. A few steps brought her to the foot end of the double bed that stood as a monument for loneliness at the end of the room. She took off her new cloak and laid it on the blanket-covered mattress. Letting her fingers slide along the wooden bed-frame, she sighed and closed her eyes. Her other senses instantly sharpened.

The whisper of a cloak was caught by her ears. A familiar cold, sweet scent filled her nostrils. She felt cold fingers travelling lightly over her back, from her waist to her shoulder blades. They settled for caressing her collar bones.

Then his arms were around Dorissa, pressing her body against his.

"You came back," she whispered. She was afraid to open her eyes, afraid he might be a product of her longing, a simple illusion of her mind.

"I promised." The sound of his double-layered voice made her body quiver.

"Is that all there is to it? A promise fulfilled?"

"No."

"Then what else is there?"

"Everything. Death. Rebirth. Life. And death once more."

"What are you saying?"

"You brought me to life. When you left me, you took that life with you. And you made me realise that it was not only life I had lost. I had lost all I ever wanted." He took half a step back and turned her around. "Open your eyes, my star," he whispered. And she did.

There he was, exactly the way she remembered. He was there, right in front of her eyes, pale white against the darkness of the room. His icy eyes were shining orbs in the night, fixed on her now tear-streaked face.

"I love you," Zaladin Grimtusk whispered.

"Is it true? Could you really love me?"

"I am still cold, Dorissa. But I can. And I do." And then his lips met hers.

The taste of his cold, sweet mouth was overwhelming.

Dorissa wrapped her arms around his neck and closed her eyes. She let her tongue slide along his lower lip, and her fingers entwined in his hair.

He broke the kiss and lifted her up in his arms to lay her down on the bed. She reached for him, and he lay down next to her and pulled her into his embrace.

He pulled away slightly to study her face. "We look more alike now," he stated. "You are even more beautiful than I remember." He stroked her cheek gently, and his lips formed a soft smile.

"Because I look more appropriate for someone like you now?"

"No. There was always something about your face I could not define... a disorder of some sort. Once I knew your secret I realised what it was: You seemed as if you were wearing a face that was not yours. That stress of having to pretend to be something you are not has completely vanished. You look at ease with yourself now. It suits you," he said, still smiling. "Like you said it suited me to show emotions. You cannot imagine how worried I was when I had contacted the Sapphire Darkling and told them of your existence. I was terrified I had made the wrong decision and had not helped you, but instead torn apart everything you had built."

"Zaladin Grimtusk, terrified? I find that very hard to believe," Dorissa stated, cocking an eyebrow.

"Nevertheless, I was. And feeling fear gave me another fit of pain. Luckily no one but you has seen it happen. I do not think the peoples of Azeroth would have much faith in me if they knew I end up in convulsive spasms on the ground if someone makes me laugh."

"Probably not. You give the term 'unstable' an entirely new meaning," Dorissa said, giggling. "Anyway," she continued, "I thought the fits would be rare happenings by now? You seemed to handle them slightly better along the way up to when we parted."

"My guess is that this was a new type of fear. Up until then I had only experienced fear for your life in the time you were protecting me. But then I learned that there was more to the term 'fear' than the fear of you being physically injured."

"I see," Dorissa said. There was a moment of silence. "Zaladin, how do you know of the Sapphire Darkling?" she then asked. "They don't exactly seem like your average contacts."

"I crossed the path of Nathaldor in Outland. It must have been around six or seven months ago. He was ambushed by the Arakkoa of Terokkar Forest. I saved his life. He offered me anything in return to repay the debt he felt he was in. I learned of the Sapphire Darkling when I asked him of the symbol on his forehead. He also told me his name and where I could find him, should I ever need to.

A week ago I returned to Orgrimmar, and the first thing I did was travel here in order to seek out Nathaldor and ask him to find you. I was unable to come with him myself, for I still had matters to attend to in the capital, what with the battle in Icecrown having taken a turn to our advantage. But as soon as I had done what needed to be done, I came back here. I have waited in your house since this morning."

"You knew I was coming?"

"Eridess sent word of your admission. I was the one who told them of you, and I am well-respected by the people here, so they sent a courier to Orgrimmar with the news."

"I see." She let a finger slide along his right tusk. "I have longed for you ever since I returned to Darnassus," she whispered.

"As I have longed for you," he said, pulling her closer. "What happened when your people found out learned of your actions?"

"Well, their reactions were not all alike. Callan handled it quite well. I only had to promise him that I will always stand at the city's side when they need me to, and in return he would deal with Fandral Staghelm and Tyrande Whisperwind for me. Oldarion... he was an entirely different matter."

"You told him?"

"Not exactly. Nathaldor and the others must have asked him for directions to where I was staying, and he somehow got out of them what their visit was about. He didn't exactly take it well."

"What do you mean?"

"We... I fought with him. He called me a whore and a traitor and slammed the door quite hard..."

"There is something you are not telling me," Zaladin said after a minute of silence.

"Yes." She sighed. "During the fight he tried to hit me. He didn't succeed. Later, though..."

"Tell me."

"When I left after being marked as a member of the Sapphire Darkling, I ran into him... No... Saying that is untrue. He waited for me in the cover of the darkness. He was drunk, and he held me against a tree... He was going to molest me."

"What happened?"

"To sum it up, he let go of my wrists at one point, which was all I needed to make a mess of his face and run for it," Dorissa said. She assumed he sensed that she was still not telling him everything, but he did not ask for the details. She silently thanked him for that. She was having enough difficulties repressing the memory, as it were. "The thing is," she continued, "I sort of threatened to kill him if I ever saw him again. And I'm worried that it actually might be necessary one day."

"I could, technically, see to that for you if you want me to." He sounded deadly serious.

Dorissa laughed. "Don't. I'll put an end to the problem myself, one way or another."

"Do not wait too long with that. It is not unlikely that his foot might slip and send him tumbling off a cliff before you have the chance to set things straight."

"You do know that you can be quite horrible sometimes, don't you?"

"I recall you have mentioned it before, yes. I am sorry," he said quietly.

"Don't be." She sat up next to him and leaned closer to kiss his forehead. "I love you."

His furrowed brow smoothed, and the look in his eyes softened. He smiled. "Look what you do to me." Fascinated, he let his fingers run from her collar bones and down her chest, lightly touching the exposed skin above her breasts. "My thoughts were with you every minute when you had left. I fought to come back to you."

"You once said that one can only win the battle if one has nothing to return to. That caring for something or someone makes you weak."

"I was wrong."

"I have one last question for you... for now," Dorissa said.

"What do you wish to know?"

"Do you remember the day I woke up with my head in your lap in the Grizzly Hills?"

"I do." He seemed to appreciate the memory.

"At one point I said I liked Zandali, after which you spoke it to me. However, when I asked you what you said, you refused to tell me more than that you had said I had heard the language spoken thrice. I still want to know the complete translation."

Zaladin spoke the Zandali words again. He then translated them: "If it were your wish, I would forever be at your side, you who defy the veil of death itself. I would hold you, please you and speak words of devotion to you in my tongue at night. But for now, at least you have heard my language spoken thrice."

"You said that?" Dorissa whispered.

"I did."

"It was my wish, Zaladin. It still is."

"It is a wish I can grant you now."

"Forever?"

"Forever."

Dorissa's heartbeat accelerated as her death knight sat up and gently pushed her down on her back and shifted to a position on top of her. He leaned closer and passionately pressed his white lips against hers. As his ice-cold hands explored every inch of her pale body, she knew what was to come. The thought of it made her tremble with desire, and for the first time in months a truly happy smile spread across Dorissa's lips.

* * *

**Author's (Long and Explanatory) Note**

_"I've done something, and I'm not sure you're going to be pleased about it, but I did it anyway."_

Such was the opening message I received not long ago from a very dear friend of mine.

He nearly gave me a heart attack telling me that he had posted a link to Formula on , his reason being that he thought I didn't have enough reviews (which is of course ridiculous since you've all been such darlings and so sweet with all your praise, questions and comments). Anyhow, I, being a blasted perfectionist, went on a correcting rampage, so I've been sitting up late nights re-uploading the whole fic just because of a little, well-meant link. Le sigh.

This, however, also means that all my original A/N's have been lost in the process, so I have decided to rewrite some of the oddities I recall from the old notes.

Here goes:

1. In case anyone is as detail bothered as I am, I am fully aware that Conquest Hold has no actual inn, but in my opinion, any (strong)hold should have such facilities to welcome the tired adventurer on his/her way. This should be the least they could do after leaving that horrid bitch, Krenna, in charge of the place.

2. My night elf age references are still a tad… peripheral, so I still wouldn't mind if anyone who knows for certain how it works would write me a message/send a carrier pigeon/light the signaling fire.

3. It does surprise me that no one's actually flamed me for conjuring up the Sapphire Darkling and their village that does in no way derive from anything existing in the game. But anyway, I still find them a lovely addition, and I'm going to take a chance and say that I think many of you do, too.

4. I know that (besides the Sapphire Darkling) there are lore errors here and there, but I don't know in which drawer I left my careface, and I just had dinner, so I'm too full to go look for it. But what I'm trying to say between the lines of gibberish is that I am a lore whore with an artistic license, thank you.

5. I know I almost promised some of you a sequel, and I should not have done so. I would really love to be able to write one, but my plot bunny stopped hopping about the very moment I uploaded the last chapter of this story. I tried writing, but there was no soul in it. So I let it go. Who knows, perhaps one day I will suddenly be struck by insanity (once more) and start scribbling again. No promises this time, though.

So, there you have it.  
And once again, thank you all. From the very bottom of my heart.


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